


deliver us from evil

by kniife



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Temporary Character Death, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:48:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 33,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21995512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kniife/pseuds/kniife
Summary: Instead of Rin who meets Obito in purgatory, it’s Madara.
Relationships: Implied/Referenced Relationship(s)
Comments: 37
Kudos: 100





	1. purgatory

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Deliverance](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13587816) by [smoresies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/smoresies/pseuds/smoresies). 



—

Obito’s body was falling apart.

It wasn’t as painful as he thought it would be. He felt numb as the pieces of his body fell away, crumbling to dust.

Kakashi’s single eye glistened with unshed tears, hand outstretched but too afraid to touch him, lest he fall apart faster.

“I won’t be around to save you… a third time,” Obito managed to grit out, offering his old teammate a wry smile. He then turned to Kushina’s son, the movement causing more bits of his body to flake off.

“You’ll probably have to suffer again from now on,” he said, meeting the kid’s intensely-blue eyes. They looked just like Minato’s.

“Don’t change,” he told Naruto, “keep going your way. You told me that you never change your words… that’s your ninja way, right?”

Naruto’s face screwed up, tears springing to his eyes.

Obito gave him one last smile, closing his eyes.

“Naruto,” he said, voice naught but a whisper, “become Hokage… at all costs.”

He heard the kid let out a strangled sob before he heard nothing at all, one last breath escaping his chapped lips before everything faded to black.

—

When Obito next opened his eyes, he was momentarily blinded.

Squinting, Obito reached up for his goggles— when did he get those back?— and pulled them down over his eyes. There, that was better.

Looking around, Obito took in his orange-tinted surroundings. It was still bright, but not unbearably so. For as far as the eye could see, it was the same featureless white plane obscured by fog. For all the dimensions Obito had travelled to in his time, none of them even came close to this.

With little else to do, Obito began to walk.

It felt like he wasn’t moving as he traversed the nothingness, his surroundings never changing no matter how many steps he took. At one point, he began to run, only to trip over his own feet and stumble to the ground. As he lay there, surrounded by the rolling fog, he began to wonder if this was purgatory.

“You’d be correct.”

Obito’s head snapped up at the voice, which seemed to come from everywhere at once but nowhere at all. He sat up, frantically looking around for the source.

“Hello?” His voice seemed to echo impossibly, carrying out into the nothingness. It sent an involuntary shiver down his spine.

“Obito.”

The voice came from directly behind him this time. Obito scrambled to his feet, whirling around to see—

“Madara?”

Madara dipped his head, dark hair falling over his face. He looked much younger than Obito remembered, skin smooth and no longer grizzled by old age.

“Obito,” Madara said again, “I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Keep me waiting?” Obito shook his head in disbelief. “Where even are we?”

Madara gestured at the nothingness around them. Obito followed his hands, even though he knew he’d see nothing more than the blank whiteness and the fog.

“As you guessed, Obito, we are in purgatory.”

Obito felt his stomach drop. So he _was_ dead. He didn’t— 

“You’ll remember in time,” said Madara, taking a step toward Obito. On instinct, Obito took a step back. He stared up at Madara with wide eyes, unsure if he could trust him. From what little he was beginning to remember, he couldn’t.

Madara cocked his head to the side, regarding Obito.

“Rest assured, Obito, you can trust me,” Madara said. He didn’t move closer this time, which Obito was thankful for. He narrowed his eyes at Madara.

“Can I? After all you’ve done to me? Can I really trust you, Madara?” Obito spat the name with more force than necessary. Still, Madara seemed unfazed, if just a little put-out.

“Yes,” Madara said, “if even for just this once, you can trust me. I _need_ you to trust me.” Was Madara… was Madara _pleading_ with him?

It was so uncharacteristic of the elder Uchiha, that Obito didn’t even take a step back when Madara stepped forward again, so shocked he was by the fact Madara had just _pleaded_ for Obito to trust him.

“I take that as a yes?” Obito nodded absently, looking up at Madara with a newfound awe. Madara nodded, seemingly pleased.

“Good,” he moved closer still to Obito, until they were nearly toe-to-toe. Madara leaned forward slightly so they were at eye-level, his eyes a stark black against his pale skin.

“Tell me, Obito,” Madara said, voice almost a purr, “how would you like a second chance?”

Obito swallowed, forcing his eyes away from Madara’s. “A second chance?” He asked, brow furrowing. “A second chance at what?”

“At life,” said Madara, forcing Obito to meet his eyes again, “at everything you did wrong. Wouldn’t you like that, Obito?”

“I mean, yeah,” Obito shrugged, “wouldn’t everyone?”

Madara hummed. “Indeed.” He drew back, once again towering over Obito. Obito found himself missing the height he once had.

“If you were given a second chance, would you take it?” When Obito didn’t answer immediately, Madara urged, “the first answer that comes to your head. Don’t even think about it.”

“Yes,” Obito said, “yes, I would take it.”

Madara seemed to deflate somewhat, shoulders dropping and letting out a breath of what Obito assumed to be relief. “Good,” he said, mostly to himself, “good.”

Obito was about to ask why Madara was asking him these questions, when Madara cut him off.

“I need you to do something for me, Obito.”

Obito blinked in surprise. The conviction in Madara’s voice had taken him aback.

“What do you need?” Obito asked cautiously. Madara smiled slightly.

“I need you to go back in time.”

Obito gaped at Madara in disbelief.

“You want me to _what_?”

“Go back in time,” Madara repeated patiently, “to right the wrongs of the past.”

Obito almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. He looked up at Madara, eyebrow raised.

“Even if that _were_ possible,” Obito said, “why me? Why can’t you do it?”

“You think I haven’t tried?” Madara snapped, startling Obito with his outburst. “I’ve been developing this jutsu for _years_ , and you think I haven’t tried it? It doesn’t work on the caster, which is where _you_ come in, Obito. You’re the only one I can trust to do this.”

“You really want to send me back in time,” Obito whispered in shock. Madara nodded, having calmed down.

“Yes,” he said, “I trust that you can fix the past.”

“But— but I’m just _me_ ,” Obito said, “I can’t— I can’t do something like this _alone_!”

“I know,” said Madara, “which is why I’m sending you back with these.” He held out his hand; laying in his palm were ten rings.

“The Akatsuki rings,” Obito breathed, momentarily stunned by the sight of them. He looked back up at Madara desperately. “But how—?”

“Each ring holds the corresponding person’s memories,” explained Madara, slipping the ring reading _gyoku_ onto Obito’s left thumb. He dropped the rest into Obito’s palm. Obito looked down at them in awe. “Putting on the ring allows them to remember their past life, the one you just lived. They can help you.”

“How will I find them?” Obito asked, looking back up at Madara as he put the rings into his pocket. He stroked his own ring with his other thumb, running it across the smooth purple jewel. Madara shook his head.

“That task lies solely on you,” he said cryptically. Obito clenched his teeth against a wave of momentary frustration. Madara seemed to sense this, and smirked in amusement.

“I can’t help you with everything, Obito,” he said, “there is a limit to how much I can do to aid you in this venture.”

“But what about you?” Obito blurted. Madara blinked, taken aback.

“Me? I already told you—”

Obito shook his head. “The you in the past, where you’re sending me. You’ll be there too, right? Won’t the past you help me?”

Madara smiled wryly, shaking his head. “No, Obito. By then, I was too far gone. I wouldn’t be able to help you.

“You can help _me_ , though,” Madara said, causing Obito to perk up. What else could he possibly help Madara with?

“Kill me,” Madara said, and Obito gawked.

“ _Kill_ you?”

Madara nodded. “I’ll be old, already on the verge of death. The least you can do is kill me before I die a natural death, to put me out of my misery. Can you do that for me, Obito?”

Hesitantly, Obito nodded. “I… I think so.”

Madara closed his eyes in what looked like relief. “Good,” he murmured, then cleared his throat.

“Now, Obito,” Madara said, “are you ready?”

Obito shrugged. “As I’ll ever be.”

Madara’s lips twitched into a small smile, and he raised a hand to Obito’s forehead.

“Best of luck, Obito Uchiha.”

With that, everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now with cover art from yours truly ;3
> 
> my motivation for this fic comes and goes so we’ll see where that gets us


	2. seeing ghosts

Obito woke with a start, heart pounding violently in his chest and his mind racing. He struggled to calm his rapid breathing, grabbing fistfuls of his sheets as a means of grounding himself. Slowly, his breathing went back to normal and his heart rate slowed. Swallowing back bile, Obito took in his surroundings.

He was back in his old room, back in the Uchiha compound. His room was just as he remembered it; a mess. But it was a familiar mess, and the sight of it was enough to get Obito to relax enough to gather his thoughts.

The first thing Obito did was activate his Sharingan, startling when he realized it was the Mangekyō. Pushing the question of _how_ he still had it to the back of his mind, Obito looked around, checking to see if he wasn’t in some sort of genjutsu. When his surroundings didn’t change, he released the Sharingan, concluding that this wasn’t, in fact, an illusion. It was— somehow, some way— real.

So Madara had been serious about sending him back in time. Obito looked down at his hands, the glint of the silver band around his thumb jogging his memory. Almost frantically, he dug around in his pockets, pulling out nine rings.

It had really happened. The meeting with Madara in purgatory, his past life; it had all happened. The rings proved it. Letting out a shaky breath, Obito slumped back in his bed, fingering the ring on his thumb.

How far back did Madara send him? Looking down at himself, Obito guessed he couldn’t be more than twelve or thirteen years old. So he’d been sent far enough back that the incident with the cave, the one that he’d thought had left him for dead, had yet to happen. Obito let out a sigh of relief at this realization, bringing a hand up to his young, unmarred face.

So, he was still a genin.His team would still be alive; Minato, Kakashi, Rin. _Rin_. Obito’s heart ached at the thought of her. For all that he had loved her, that love had been quashed by sadness and grief over time, until he could no longer think of her without a pang of grief in his chest at the reminder of what never was and never could have been. Obito touched a hand to his chest, just above his heart, and grimaced.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Obito turned his attention back to the matter at hand. He’d been sent back in time— _back in time_ — by Madara; in order to right the wrongs of the past, as Madara had said it. Obito still couldn’t understand how he alone could make a change, though the ring on his thumb reminded him of what Madara had told him. Looking down at the rings spread out across his bedsheets, Obito was reminded that he didn’t _have_ to be alone. Those rings held the memories of each Akatsuki member; people who could _help_ him. Or, at least, some of them could. Obito worried that some would be too far gone at this point to want to help, or even to be _able_ to help. He recalled the dimension he had sent Naruto and Sasuke to, once; a dimension where the Akatsuki were the good guys. Maybe that could be them, this time around. The good guys.

So filled were his thoughts with _maybe’s_ and _what if’s_ that Obito didn’t notice his bedroom door opening until his grandmother stuck her head in, startling him out of his thoughts.

“Obito?”

“Bāchan,” Obito looked at her with wide eyes, throat tightening at the sight of his only living family member, who he hadn’t seen in _decades_. She shuffled into his room, scrunching up her nose as she toed at some of the things on his floor.

“Your room is always such a mess, Obito,” she chided gently. She looked up to smile at him; overcome with emotion, Obito all but leapt from his bed, pulling his grandmother into a tight hug. She let out a noise of surprise, but returned the embrace.

“You haven’t hugged me like this since you were a child,” she muttered, pulling back to meet Obito’s eyes. Her shocked look turned to one of concern as she saw his face. “Obito? What’s wrong?”

Obito smiled, wiping his eyes. “Nothing, grandma,” he sniffled, belying his words, “just… just a bad dream, is all.”

“Oh, Obito,” his grandmother pulled him back into a hug, stroking his hair. “It’s alright, dear. It was just a dream.”

“I know,” Obito said, voice muffled by her shoulder. He closed his eyes, turning his face into her neck. “I know.”

—

It took some time for Obito to become reaccustomed to the presence of his grandmother. He’d _missed_ her; it was hard not to let that show, lest she grow suspicious of his odd and out-of-character behavior. Obito had settled on the excuse that he’d just had a bad dream to explain away his strange behavior, but it was a flimsy excuse at best. 

Obito sat quietly in his room, mind wandering. It would be hard not to let the past— future?— affect his behavior. But then again, he had masqueraded as both Madara and Tobi for years before, so pretending like nothing was wrong couldn’t be that hard, right?

“Obito!” His grandmother called, startling Obito from his thoughts. “Rin is here!”

 _Rin_. Obito felt his heart begin to beat faster in his chest. What was Rin doing here?

“Coming!” He called back, and took a moment to gather himself before exiting his room. His grandmother stood in the kitchen, and at the table sat—

“Rin?”

“Hey, Obito,” said Rin, her quiet voice striking Obito like a kunai to the heart. He forced a smile, though it felt more like a grimace.

“What are you doing here?” He asked. Rin raised her eyebrow.

“Did you forget?” She asked, tone amused. “We have to meet up with Minato-sensei today.”

Obito… Obito had completely forgotten about that. Rin giggled, seeing how his eyes widened at the realization.

“You’re always so forgetful, Obito,” Rin teased, slipping out of the chair and making her way over. It took everything Obito had in him not to step back as she stopped in front of him, offering a friendly smile that, in the past, would’ve had his heart pounding and his cheeks flushing red. As it was, Obito just returned it with a strained smile of his own, turning to his grandmother so he wouldn’t have to look at Rin.

“I guess I’ll be heading out,” He told her. She nodded.

“You kids have fun,” she said, and then to Obito, “take care of yourself, okay Obito?”

Obito nodded, fingers twitching as he resisted the urge to give his grandmother another hug. Luckily, she did it for him, pulling Obito in an embrace he didn’t hesitate to return.

“Goodbye, bāchan,” Obito muttered. He tried not to think about how much it sounded like a final farewell.

—

“Your grandma is so sweet,” Rin said as they walked side-by-side, heading toward the place they were set to meet with Minato. Obito nodded absently, mind once again wandering to a different time.

“She is,” he agreed. Rin nodded, nudging Obito with her elbow, drawing him from his thoughts.

“You’ve been acting different today,” she said, and Obito felt his heart drop. Was he that obvious?

“I… I had a bad dream last night,” Obito said, clearing his throat. “That’s all.”

Rin hummed, though she looked disbelieving. Obito hated how well she could read him.

“If you say so, Obito,” Rin eventually said. She didn’t bring it up again for the rest of their walk, which Obito was thankful for.

As they approached the meeting spot with Minato, Obito began to lag behind. He wasn’t looking forward to seeing his old genin sensei, nor was he looking forward to seeing—

“Kakashi!”

Rin waved to Kakashi, who turned to look at them. He narrowed his eyes as they approached, arms crossed over his chest.

“What took you so long?”

“Obito forgot about the meeting,” said Rin, and Kakashi rolled his eyes.

“Of course he did.”

Usually, this was where Obito would butt in with a retort, but as it was, he just offered a slight smile and a single-shouldered shrug.

“Sorry.”

Kakashi blinked at him, taken aback. He looked like he wanted to say something, but Rin just shook her head, shutting him up.

Minato appeared from behind Kakashi, cuffing him on the back of the head as he passed. Kakashi stumbled, caught off-guard, but quickly recovered.

“Finally decided to show up, I see,” teased Minato, reaching over to ruffle Obito’s already messy hair. He ducked beneath Minato’s hand, and Minato laughed.

“He forgot about it,” explained Rin, and Minato shook his head.

“Well, at least you’re here now,” he said to Obito, who nodded. He looked up at Minato with something like awe, guilt roiling in his gut.

He’d killed Minato; indirectly, sure, but it was Obito’s fault he’d died in the end. Seeing him here, alive and well, it was like seeing a ghost. It made Obito feel vaguely ill.

“We’re just going to train today,” said Minato, clapping his hands together. Obito jumped at the sound. “Kakashi and Rin, you’re together. Obito, you’re with me.”

For the first time in his life, Obito felt dread at the prospect of training with Minato. Regardless, he swallowed his anxiety and made his way over to Minato, trying not to drag his feet. 

—

Training with Minato was just as bad as Obito had dreaded it would be.

His untrained body was unable to keep up with what he wanted it to do. He had the muscle-memory, but not the strength. Which meant that he stumbled; a lot.

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright, Obito?”

“I’m fine,” Obito panted, trying not to snap at Minato. He’d asked Obito that question several times, and Obito was admittedly growing tired of it. He just wished Minato would ignore how much he tripped and stumbled as he struggled to get used to his new— old?— body.

Minato raised a disbelieving eyebrow, but came at Obito again. Obito managed to dodge without stumbling, but tripped over his own feet as he came to a halt. Obito cursed quietly under his breath, kicking frustratedly at the ground, like it was the one at fault. 

Minato placed a hand on Obito’s shoulder, causing him to startle.

“It’s alright if you’re having an off-day, Obito,” Minato said, his blue eyes sympathetic. Seeing such a look directed at him almost made Obito sick with guilt.

“I’m fine,” Obito protested again, but it was weak. Shaking his head, Minato patted him on the shoulder.

“You can sit this one out,” Minato said kindly, and pointed toward a nearby tree. “Kushina will be here soon with food for you guys, so we would’ve had to wrap up our training anyway.”

Minato’s words did nothing to make Obito feel better, but he made his way over to the tree and sat beneath it anyway, knees drawn up to his chest. How would he make a change, when he was so… _useless?_

True to Minato’s word, Kushina arrived not long after, carrying with her a bag that no doubt held bento-boxes for Minato’s students. A childish part of Obito wanted to hide as he saw her approaching, but he steeled himself regardless. He wasn’t ready to interact with Kushina, not yet; not when the guilt of killing her was still so fresh.

“Minato!”

Minato winced from where he stood beside the still-training Kakashi and Rin, turning to face his wife.

“Kushina—”

Kushina cut Minato off with a playful smack atop his head, remedying it with a quick kiss before turning her attention to Kakashi and Rin.

“You two must be hungry,” she said, and Rin nodded enthusiastically, Kakashi dipping his head. Kushina handed Rin the bag and looked around, brow furrowed.

“Where’s Obito?”

“Right there,” Kakashi said, pointing to where Obito sat beneath the tree. Obito glared at Kakashi, inwardly cursing him for giving him away, before his attention was drawn back to Kushina, who was making her way over.

“Obito,” she greeted, kneeling down in front of him, “what are you doing all the way over here?”

There was a genuine concern in her voice, something gentle and almost maternal, and maybe that’s why Obito found it in him to respond.

“Hi, Kushina,” he said, offering a slight smile that was more a momentary upward twitch of his lips. “Minato-sensei said I should rest, since I’m not feeling very well.”

“Not feeling well?” Kushina gave Obito a sympathetic smile, moving to sit down beside him. Obito tried not to lean into her. “What’s wrong, Obito?”

“He had a bad dream last night,” said Rin, who had walked over. She held her own bento in one hand and Obito’s in the other.

“Is that so?” Kushina hummed thoughtfully, taking the bento from Rin and handing it over to Obito. “What was it about?”

“I forget,” Obito lied, staring down at his bento so he wouldn’t have to meet Kushina’s eyes, “but it’s been bothering me all day.” That part was true.

Kushina gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder, jostling him.

“That’s alright,” she said, offering him an understanding smile. Obito swallowed, and turned away.

“I might go home, actually,” he said, making as to stand up. Kushina beat him to it, and offered him a hand. Hesitantly, Obito took it.

“That’s okay,” Kushina assured him, “I’m sure Minato will understand.”

Obito nodded, adjusting the bento in his hands. Seeing this, Kushina smiled.

“Keep it,” she said, “you can bring me back the container tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” Obito said sincerely, bowing his head to Kushina. She seemed taken aback by his uncharacteristically respectful gesture, but by the time she recovered, Obito had already begun walking away.

—

Obito made his way back home, though if he were being honest, he was more wandering aimlessly than he was heading directly to his destination.

Seeing Kushina again had been what really cemented the guilt he felt for his past life. Seeing her and Minato again had been like seeing ghosts.

It wasn’t doing anything to help his current mental state.

So caught up he was in his thoughts, Obito didn’t notice he’d made his way to the Uchiha compound until he all but tripped over a small figure. With a yelp, Obito stumbled, holding out his bento in an attempt to save it lest he fall. Luckily, he didn’t, but the kid he’d tripped over hadn’t been so lucky.

“I’m so sorry!” Obito said, turning to face the child. His mouth snapped shut when he saw who it was.

“Itachi?”

The young Itachi was brushing himself off, lips pursed in something that wasn’t quite a pout but bordered dangerously close to one. Upon hearing his name, he looked up, head cocking to the side.

“Who are you?” He asked, and Obito swallowed back a wave of disappointment. Of course Itachi didn’t know him; they lived on opposite sides of the compound, and the age gap between them was significant enough that they’d never interacted. Still, Obito smiled down at Itachi, offering a hand.

“I’m Obito,” he said, and Itachi took his hand with his own significantly smaller one.

“Itachi,” he said, then blushed. “But you already knew that.”

Obito couldn’t help but to chuckle. Itachi puffed out his cheeks, glaring at the ground at Obito’s feet. Obito shook his head fondly.

“I wasn’t laughing at you,” he assured Itachi, who glanced up at him through long, dark lashes. Obito smiled. “Where were you going in such a hurry?”

“I have to train with my dad,” Itachi said, and Obito was momentarily taken aback. Train? Itachi was, what, four years old? And he was already training with his father?

“You’re pretty young to be training already,” Obito said, and Itachi shrugged, averting his gaze.

“That’s not what my dad says,” he muttered, mostly to himself, then looked back up at Obito. “It was nice meeting you, Obito-san.”

“Just Obito is fine,” Obito said. “It was nice meeting you too, Itachi.”

Itachi nodded, dipping his head respectfully, and took off again. Obito watched him go, an odd feeling settling in his chest.

No wonder Itachi was how he was— he never got to grow up.

—

“Bāchan! I’m home!” Obito called out as he entered his house, nudging the door closed with his foot. His grandmother was in the kitchen, and turned to look at him in surprise.

“Obito!” She greeted. “Home already?”

Obito nodded, setting Kushina’s bento on the counter. “I wasn’t feeling well, so Minato let me go home early.” Well, it was more so Kushina who let him, but…

“That was very kind of him,” his grandmother said, turning her attention back to the sink. “I was just making lunch, would you like some?”

Obito shook his head, gesturing toward the bento. “Kushina made me a bento.”

“Such a nice lady,” said his grandmother absently, shaking her head. “A menace in her youth, though. I swear.”

“You say that like she isn’t still a menace,” Obito muttered, and yelped when his grandmother smacked his arm with a wet towel.

“Be nice to your sensei’s wife, Obito,” she chided, and Obito nodded, pouting as he rubbed his arm.

“Yes, bāchan.”

Obito ate his bento at the table across from his grandmother. He tried and failed to hide his wince as he ate his food; Kushina sure liked to make things spicy.

“How did your training go, Obito?” Asked his grandmother, taking a bite of her own food. Obito shrugged, elbow resting on the table despite being repeatedly chided for poor manners.

“It went alright,” he said, shrugging. “I was having an off-day.”

“You mentioned not feeling well,” his grandmother said, tilting her head questioningly. “Is it because of that dream you had, Obito?”

Obito nodded slowly, picking at his too-hot food. His grandmother let out a sympathetic sigh.

“You poor thing,” she said, “it must’ve been some dream.”

“Must have,” Obito agreed. He didn’t meet his grandmother’s eyes for the rest of their meal.

—

Obito slept fitfully that night, his mind racing in an endless loop of _what-if’s_. What if he couldn’t change anything? What if he changed something for the worse? What if, what if, what if?

Obito groaned into his pillow, nails digging into his scalp. He wished the thoughts would just _stop_ , so he could sleep. Sleep, and dream about what? About the dead? Of his mistakes? Of the impossible task laid out before him? Obito had the choice of being plagued by his thoughts or his memories; he couldn’t decide which was worse.

When Obito finally did sleep, it was thankfully dreamless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> second chapter’s up! i already had this one pre-written, so expect future updates to come at a slower pace


	3. going through the motions

Obito woke up slowly, his mind coming to before he even opened his eyes. He lay there with his eyes closed for a while, awareness slowly creeping back into his body.

When he finally did open his eyes, Obito’s first thought was that the previous day’s events had all been a dream. But the slight pressure of the ring on his thumb told him otherwise. He lifted his hand to his face, staring at the purple jewel inset into the silver band. The kanji reading _gyoku_ stared back at him, unchanging.

With a sigh, Obito allowed his hand to fall back onto his chest. He turned onto his side, facing the nightstand beside his bed. There, scattered innocuously across the surface, were the nine other rings. He had put them there the day prior, dumping them haphazardly as he’d rushed to get out of the house with Rin. He’d ought to put them in a safer place, he thought. Though it was just him and his grandmother in the house, he’d hate to let them fall into the wrong hands.

With that in mind, Obito rolled out of bed with a grunt, bare feet landing on the tatami mat flooring of his bedroom. Kicking some stray clothes out of the way, Obito moved to his nightstand, gathering the rings in his palms. They clinked together as they shifted in his hands, the light catching on the multicolored jewels and the bright silver bands. While Obito had never found out their true purpose to the Akatsuki’s cause, they held some importance now; as Madara had said, they supposedly held the memories of the past life of each corresponding member of the Akatsuki.

Looking around his room, Obito pursed his lips. There weren't many places he could think of to put them, though he supposed that anywhere out of sight would do just fine. He moved to his dresser, depositing the rings into one palm so he could open the bottommost drawer. Lifting up his clothes, he deposited the rings into the folds on the fabric. He doubted anyone would go looking through his clothes drawers, so the rings would probably be the safest there.

Probably.

Closing the drawer, Obito turned back to look at his room as a whole. It really was a mess, though it was comforting in its familiarity. He ought to tidy up, he thought, but that was a task for another day.

Obito exited his room, bare feet padding softly against the hardwood floors of his home. He made his way into the kitchen, where he was met with the sight of his grandmother making breakfast. She hummed softly to herself, a song Obito didn’t consciously recognize, but sounded familiar. With a smile, Obito came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her in a hug.

“Oh!” His grandmother startled slightly, turning her head to glance back at Obito. “Obito! You’re up early!”

“Mhmm,” Obito nodded, stepping back. His grandmother fully turned to face him, a warm smile on her wrinkled face.

“I was going to wake you up once breakfast was ready, but since you’re already up, would you like to help?”

“Sure,” Obito nodded again, smiling up at his grandmother. She smiled back, turning back to the stove in front of her.

Obito stood at her side, helping to plate the food as she made it. He’d always loved his grandmother’s cooking, and considered it on-par with Kushina’s, if not better. Then again, he might have been slightly biased in the regard.

Once breakfast was ready, Obito set the plates on the table, across from each other. He waited until his grandmother had sat down across from him before digging in with gusto, suddenly feeling very hungry. He _was_ still a growing boy, after all.

“You don’t have to meet with your team for another few hours, correct?” Obito nodded, careful not to talk around his mouthful of food. His grandmother smiled at the sight of his stuffed cheeks, eating her own food at a much slower pace. “What do you plan to do while you wait?”

“I might go to the training grounds to, well, train,” Obito said once he’d swallowed his food. “I don’t want to mess up like I did yesterday.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling better today, Obito,” his grandmother reached across the table to pat his hand affectionately. Obito just nodded, dipping back into his food with a smile.

—

After saying a brief goodbye to his grandmother, Obito made his way to the training grounds. He walked briskly, wanting to have as much time as possible to train before he met up with his team. Luckily, the Uchiha compound was relatively empty this early in the morning, meaning he could run through the streets without worrying about bumping into anyone.

Obito slowed as he passed what he recognized as Itachi’s house, mouth drawn into a thin line as he contemplated whether or not he should stop by. Ultimately, he decided against it; it would be rather odd for him to show up at the house of a boy who’d only met him the day before, wouldn’t it?

Obito finally made it to the training grounds, his jog slowing to a walk. He stopped briefly to catch his breath, bracing his hands on his knees. His body really was out of shape from what he was used to.

Straightening back up, Obito made his way to the center of the grounds, looking around to make sure they were empty. Sure enough, he was the only one there this early in the morning.

Letting out a breath, Obito positioned himself into a starting stance. He’d start off simple, just the basic taijutsu techniques. He didn’t want to dip into his chakra reserves just yet, considering how small they were at this age.

Obito found himself struggling at first, his motions stiff and awkward. While he knew these techniques like the back of his hand, his body was refusing to cooperate. Biting back his frustration, Obito powered through the techniques, his movements slowly but surely becoming more fluid as his body adjusted to what his mind wanted it to do.

Once Obito was satisfied with his progress, he moved on to the basic ninjutsu techniques. Taking a steadying breath, Obito gathered chakra in the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet, anchoring him in place. He closed his eyes, conjuring up the image of a nondescript opponent in his mind.

Obito moved with the grace befitting a relatively untrained child his age— or more, the lack thereof. In his mind’s eye, his opponent moved swiftly, easily dodging his attacks. Obito jumped back when his opponent lashed out, bringing up his arms to block an invisible attack.

Obito went on like this for a while, eyes screwed shut as he fought against an unseen opponent. In his mind, his faceless foe morphed into familiar figures; Kakashi, Minato, Madara, himself. They smiled mockingly and taunted him as he struggled to land sloppy attacks, further fueling his frustration toward himself. He felt so _useless_ , so _weak_. With a shout, Obito launched himself forward, overestimating his trajectory and landing face-first on the ground.

Opening his eyes, Obito was met with the sight of orange-tinted dirt through his goggles. With a groan, Obito lifted himself onto his hands and knees, head hanging limply. He really _was_ useless, wasn’t he?

As the beginnings of frustrated tears began to prickle in his eyes, Obito heard the faint _crunch_ of footsteps in the dirt. Standing quickly, Obito turned to face the newcomer. His eyes widened when he saw who it was.

“Kakashi?”

“Obito,” came Kakashi’s gruff response. He gave Obito a lazy once-over with hooded eyes, gaze disinterested. He looked back up at Obito, eyebrow quirking. “What are you doing?”

“I was training,” Obito answered, crossing his arms over his chest. He saw Kakashi’s eyes flicker down to the dirt on his knees, and grimaced. “I, uh, fell.”

“I can see that,” said Kakashi, a mean sort of amusement in his voice. Obito just shrugged, turning away. It was still way too early to start a fight with Kakashi.

Noticing Obito’s lack of response to his jibe, Kakashi changed tactics. “You usually aren’t out this early.”

Obito just shrugged again. “Like I said, I was training.”

Kakashi let out a frustrated huff, crossing his arms in turn. “Is this because of yesterday? You were off your game more than usual.”

“That’s part of it,” Obito admitted, casting a sidelong glance at Kakashi. The other boy was no longer looking at him, his hooded gaze fixated somewhere over Obito’s left shoulder. He seemed to be contemplating something, an almost pained expression on the visible parts of his face.

“I can, um, help you, if you want,” Kakashi finally spoke up, voice trailing off in a mumble. Obito fully turned his head to look at him, eyes wide in disbelief.

“What?”

“I said I can help you,” Kakashi grit out, still refusing to meet Obito’s eyes. He almost looked… embarrassed?

Oh, this was good. With a sly smile inching its way across his face, Obito leaned it toward Kakashi, watching in amusement as the other boy leaned ever-so-slightly back.

“You would deign yourself, the almighty Kakashi, to help me, the lowly Obito? I’m honored, really.”

Kakashi’s face twisted into a scowl, finally meeting Obito’s gaze for the sole purpose of glaring daggers at him.

“You know what—?!”

“I’m kidding, Kakashi!” Obito laughed, dropping a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder. Kakashi jumped at the contact. “I’d really like that, actually. Thanks for offering.”

“A-alright,” for once, Kakashi seemed at a loss for words, staring dumbly at Obito, who just smiled right back.

—

Obito and Kakashi were still training together when Rin arrived. Obito had finally managed to pin Kakashi after being pinned numerous times himself, sitting atop the other boy triumphantly, much to Kakashi’s ire.

“Good job, Obito!” Rin called as she walked over. Both boys turned to look at her, Obito’s chest puffing out in pride at her praise.

“Thanks!” He called back breathlessly, finally relenting and climbing off Kakashi. He held out a hand to the other boy to help him up, which was promptly ignored. Obito shrugged; it would still take a while for him to win Kakashi over, he guessed.

“I’ve never seen you manage to pin Kakashi before,” Rin giggled, watching as the boys began to brush themselves off. Obito beamed at her.

“Yeah, well, you should’ve seen how many times he managed to pin me!” Obito said with a laugh, clapping his hand onto Kakashi’s shoulder. Kakashi just glared at him, though didn’t bother to shrug his hand off.

“Too many times to count,” Kakashi grumbled, eliciting an offended shout from Obito and another bout of giggles from Rin.

“It’s good to see you two finally getting along,” Rin said with a smile. Obito just shrugged, removing his hand from Kakashi’s shoulder to rub at the back of his neck sheepishly.

“He was the one who offered to help me train,” Obito admitted. Kakashi kicked at him lightly, and Obito kicked him right back.

Rin just laughed at the display, her voice light and chiming. Obito could see why he’d fallen in love with her the first time around.

“Well, we should probably go meet Minato-sensei now,” Rin said, turning on her heel. Obito and Kakashi followed close behind, walking so Rin was between them. Obito smiled to himself; today was beginning to look up from yesterday.

—

Today was no longer beginning to look up from yesterday.

Obito had once again been teamed up with Minato-sensei for training. While he was more confident in his abilities after the training session he’d had that morning, it was still clear Obito was not up to par with where he wanted to be.

It was incredibly frustrating.

What made it worse was the look of sympathy in Minato’s eyes as he watched Obito struggle. It made Obito almost want to snap at him, but he held back his frustration. It wasn’t Minato’s fault he was struggling, after all. Even after all the training he’d done earlier, his body still wasn’t quite used to what his mind wanted it to do. He just wasn’t quick enough, didn’t hit as hard or as fast as he wanted. And it was so, _so_ frustrating.

Obito finally gave in to his urge to kick at the ground, gouging a small hole into the earth with his foot. He grumbled to himself and crossed his arms, pointedly turned away from Minato.

“If it’s any consolation,” Minato said as he came up behind him, placing a hand atop Obito’s head, “you performed much better than you did yesterday. It’s good to see that you’re feeling better.”

Obito just hummed in response, slouching down against the weight of Minato’s hand. Minato smiled at him, and ruffled his hair.

“You aren’t going to improve in a day, Obito,” Minato said, crouching down so he and Obito were of a height. Obito was forced to meet his sensei’s eyes; blue, oh so blue, and filled with a warmth that made Obito feel bad for acting out.

“I know,” Obito finally said, letting out a sigh. “It’s just… I know what I _want_ to do, my body just—”

“— can’t do it?” Minato cut him off with a smile. “Believe it or not, I know how you feel, Obito. While it can be frustrating, nothing good comes out of beating yourself up for it. Just keep practicing like you’ve been doing, and you’ll slowly but surely improve.”

“…Thanks, Minato-sensei.” Obito dipped his head, startling a laugh from Minato.

“Of course, Obito! No need to act so polite. Now, come at me again!”

—

Obito walked through the Uchiha compound with a slight spring in his step. Despite the rough start, he felt better after his training with Minato-sensei. The man really was understanding of Obito’s plight, even if he didn’t know the whole story behind his struggles. Still, it felt nice to know that Minato, the man Obito looked up to, could empathize with him.

Obito smiled to himself. It helped to remember that he wasn’t alone in this, even in the beginning; even without the Akatsuki.

As he continued walking, Obito caught sight of a familiar face. Emboldened by his good mood, Obito made his way over, hand raised in greeting before the boy even turned to look at him.

“Hey, Itachi.”

Itachi looked up from where he stood at his father’s side, his stoic expression softening into one of familiarity.

“Hello, Obito.”

Itachi’s father— Fugaku, if Obito remembered correctly— looked up as well, his perpetual frown deepening.

“Is this your friend, Itachi?”

To Obito’s surprise and delight, Itachi nodded, looking away from Obito and to his father.

“Yes. This is Obito.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Obito said, dipping his head respectfully. Fugaku gave him a brief once-over, mouth set into a firm line.

“I see. Obito, was it? You live with your grandmother on the opposite end of the compound, correct?”

“That’s correct,” Obito said, his smile wilting under the pressure of Fugaku’s gaze. Now he knew where Itachi got it from, at least.

“Hmm,” was all Fugaku said, before turning away. “I’m glad Itachi is making friends, at the very least.”

Obito looked down at Itachi, who had averted his gaze to the ground at his feet. Obito smiled at the younger boy sympathetically; it must be hard, he thought, having a father like Fugaku.

“Well, I’ll see you around, Itachi!” Obito said, beginning to walk away. He nodded at Fugaku when the man glanced at him. Fugaku nodded in turn before turning away again, taking Itachi by the wrist and pulling him along in the opposite direction.

—

Obito arrived at his home in what felt like very little time, even though the walk across the compound was a rather lengthy one.

“Bāchan!” Obito called into the house as he opened the door, toeing off his shoes by the entrance. “I’m home!”

“Welcome home, Obito!” His grandmother called from the kitchen. “You’re just in time for lunch!”

Obito walked into the kitchen, where his grandmother had just finished setting out a set of plates for the both of them. Obito cast his grandmother a grateful smile as he sat down at his side of the table, pulling the plate towards himself to begin eating.

“How was training today?” His grandmother asked, smiling warmly at Obito from across the table. Obito returned the smile with one of his own, waiting until his mouth was no longer full to begin talking.

“Really good, actually,” Obito said. “I met up with Kakashi this morning to train before meeting with Minato-sensei.”

“That’s good to hear,” his grandmother said. “It seems you and your teammates get along well.”

“We do, for the most part,” Obito picked at his food as he spoke, more focused on the conversation than his meal, now. “Kakashi and I kinda got off on the wrong foot, but I think he’s warming up to me.”

“That’s good to hear,” his grandmother said, her voice sincere. “And how was training with Minato-sensei? Did you have to sit this one out as well?”

“Nope,” Obito shook his head. “I still struggled a bit, but Minato-sensei was understanding.”

“He’s such a nice man,” his grandmother said, “I’m glad you got him as a teacher.”

“Me too, bāchan,” Obito smiled, “me too.”

—

Sleep came more easily that night than it had the night prior.

The day’s events had eased some of his anxieties; though he couldn’t yet tell anyone of his circumstances, it was comforting to know that he had people who supported him regardless. His grandmother, Minato, Kushina, Rin— hell, even Kakashi had shown his support by offering to help Obito train that morning. While the task given to him by Madara still seemed impossibly daunting, it helped to know that Obito wasn’t alone.

Obito smiled slightly to himself as he fell into another dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for such a long delay for this chapter! my motivation for this fic completely died for awhile there, but i’m getting back into the swing of things!


	4. second chances

It had been several weeks since Obito was sent back.

He fell into a routine; wake up, go train— occasionally joined by Kakashi and Rin— meet up with his team, go back home— sometimes running into Itachi along the way— and go to sleep at the end of the day. Rinse and repeat.

It was monotonous, but familiar. Knowing what the day would bring made it easier for Obito to get out of bed in the mornings.

Things changed, as well. Obito grew closer to his grandmother, for one. While he’d originally been hesitant to involve her in his life, he found it was easier to have someone to talk to who was willing to indulge him and just listen. He grew closer with Rin and Kakashi, too, and thought of them as friends more than teammates. He had come a long way with Kakashi especially; while they still bickered and fought, it was no longer fueled by disdain for each other. Their teasing grew friendly as opposed to mean, and they had even begun to hang out outside of Obito’s morning training and their team meetings. Obito had even managed to rise to the rank of chūnin alongside the rest of his team in an exam that he was easily able to breeze through thanks to his relentless training.

Things were looking up for Obito. He was getting back into the swing of being young, and while Madara’s request was always at the back of his mind, it no longer seemed like such a burden.

Then, everything changed.

—

Obito remembered this mission with startling clarity. He remembered this debriefing, stood beside Kakashi and Rin, Minato standing before them, uncharacteristically serious as he explained their objective. He remembered it, because it haunted his dreams; this was the mission that would change  _ everything _ , the mission that would send Obito down the dark path that would lead to his own downfall. He remembered it, and he was determined to  _ change  _ it.

So Obito stood there, next to Kakashi and Rin, listening to his sensei explain their objective, and knew that this time; this time, things  _ would  _ be different. He’d make  _ sure  _ of it.

“You have an important mission to complete today,” Minato-sensei was explaining, arms crossed over his chest. He looked down at his team, his usual sunny smile replaced by a hard, serious set to his mouth. “Iwagakure is currently using Kusagakure as a relief point. You are tasked with destroying Kannabi Bridge in order to cut off their supply line.

“I am needed in the front lines, so Kakashi will be leading the team today.” Minato gestured toward Kakashi, who dipped his head in understanding. “Of course, Minato-sensei.”

“Before we head out, though,” Minato continued, and that sunny smile found its way back onto his face, “I want to congratulate Kakashi on becoming jōnin. Good work, Kakashi.”

Kakashi flushed pink beneath his mask at the praise, averting his eyes. Rin smiled and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Good job on becoming jōnin, Kakashi!” She said, and Obito only felt a flicker of the jealousy he’d felt  _ before _ . With a smile that was only slightly strained, Obito placed his hand on Kakashi’s other shoulder, startling him.

“Good job, Kakashi,” he said, as sincerely as he could. “Man, I would’ve brought a gift if I’d remembered!”

Rin giggled, and pulled something from her pouch; a small medical kit.

“Speaking of gifts, I have something for you, Kakashi,” she said, handing it to him. Kakashi took it with both hands, glancing first at the medical kit and then Rin.

“Thank you,” he said, sincerely. Rin’s smile just widened.

“I have something for you as well,” Minato said with a smile, and handed Kakashi a three-pronged kunai; one of his  _ Flying Thunder God  _ kunai.

Kakashi placed Rin’s medical kit in his own pouch before taking the kunai from Minato, eyes wide. He eyed it reverently, turning it over in his hands. Obito couldn’t help but be a tiny bit jealous.

“That way I can teleport to you guys if things go awry,” Minato said, and placed a hand atop Kakashi’s head, ruffling his hair. Kakashi either didn’t notice or didn’t mind, still staring down at the kunai in his hands with open awe.

“Thank you, Minato-sensei,” Kakashi said, and bowed deeply. Minato just laughed.

“Of course! Now, are we ready to head out?”

—

Kusagakure’s appearance was true to its name; lush and green, much like grass.

They entered the forest bordering Fire Country and Kusa, which reminded Obito of the Forest of Death in its density. The trees were large and towering, branches blotting out the sky and roots covering the ground.

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin leapt from branch to branch, the yellow flash of Minato’s hair just ahead of them. He hadn’t yet left them to their own devices, which Obito found convenient, as he knew they would soon encounter an Iwagakure scout. Kakashi would try and fail to take them out with the Chidori, and Minato would save him. Originally, Obito had found a mean sort of pleasure in knowing the infallible Kakashi could make mistakes. Now, though? Obito was focused on the mission, focused solely on  _ changing  _ the outcome.

The three continued along, following the brief glimpses of Minato. They were getting closer to where they would encounter the Iwa scout, and Obito felt himself growing all the more tense.

Obito caught sight of the slightest bit of movement out of the corner of his eye; there, flanking them at a distance, was the Iwa scout. Obito came to an abrupt halt, startling his teammates into stopping as well.

“Obito?” Rin gave him a concerned look, shifting closer with her hand raised as to put it on his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

Obito put up a hand to silence her, stopping her in her tracks. Kakashi seemed to pick up on his tension, fingers twitching toward the kunai pouch on his hip.

“We aren’t alone,” was all that Obito said. And alone they weren’t; the Iwa scout landed on the branch beside them, startling the three. Obito and Kakashi fell into fighting stances, moving in front of a frozen Rin.

“All alone, little genin?” The Iwa scout’s smile was sharp and dangerous with the promise of violence. Kakashi sneered at him from beneath his mask, while Obito just continued to glare. He felt his hand move toward the pouch at his hip, fingers brushing against the cold metal of the kunai within.

“Oh, we’re a little fiesty, I see,” the scout cooed, watching in amusement as Obito and Kakashi each withdrew a kunai from their pouches. Kakashi took the lead in pointing his kunai at the scout, brow furrowed in a deep glare. The Iwa-nin just smiled at the display.

“You must be a scout,” Kakashi said. “Do you plan on running back to your comrades to tell them we’re coming?”

The Iwa-nin sneered, all amusement gone from his face. “I’m not scared of a couple of brats like you.” His hands moved swiftly through a series of signs, about twenty or so shadow clones appearing alongside him. “I’ll take care of you first, then I’ll head back. I’m sure Kakkō and Taiseki will be thrilled to hear about how I single-handedly took down a couple of snotty kids!”

“Stay back,” Kakashi murmured, placing his arm out in front of Obito. “Keep an eye on Rin. I want to try something.”

Obito bit the inside of his cheek, but nodded. He wanted to tell Kakashi to wait, to not use the Chidori and to wait for Minato to find them. It was still such a new technique, one Kakashi had yet to master. Obito knew what was coming, but felt helpless to stop it.

He just hoped Minato still arrived in time.

Lightning began to crackle around Kakashi’s hand, the sound oddly reminiscent of the chirping of birds. Obito took a step back as Kakashi began to charge up his attack, pulling Rin along with him.

The Iwa scout watched with an amused sort of interest, his cocky smile faltering ever-so-slightly at the edges. Kakashi continued to stare him down as the Chidori grew bigger in his hand, his arm shaking slightly from the sheer power of it.

With a shout, Kakashi shot forward, arm outstretched. The Iwa-nin was quick to sidestep, though he wasn’t the one Kakashi was after. One by one, the numerous shadow clones he’d summoned were destroyed. Even the ones that had begun to circle around Rin and Obito were quickly dispatched, Kakashi moving at a speed befitting of his lightning affinity.

Obito could only watch with a detached sort of awe as Kakashi took out the shadow clones, taking his eyes off the Iwa-nin for just a moment. In that moment, the Iwa-nin had moved behind Kakashi, well out of the way of the Chidori, and was raising a kunai high into the air.

And Minato had yet to show up.

Obito had refrained from using his Sharingan up until now, not wanting to rouse suspicion. As it was, all he could see was the glint of metal of the weapon quickly descending on Kakashi, the boy entirely oblivious to the fact he was about to die.

The flare of chakra behind his eyes was foreign and somewhat painful. Everything became clearer, in that moment, and time seemed to slow. Obito took a breath, and screamed.

“ _ Kakashi! _ ”

Kakashi’s head shot up, eyes wide as he looked at Obito. It was then he noticed the Iwa-nin descending on him, but it was far too late for him to move out of the way.

Obito threw the kunai clenched in his fist, his accuracy deathly precise with the help of his Sharingan. The kunai hit the Iwa-nin in the neck, lodging itself directly in his jugular. The Iwa-nin fell to his knees with a wet, sputtering gasp, hands shooting up to his neck. Kakashi took this opportunity to scramble out from beneath the scout, eyes wide and frightened.

It was then that Minato chose to appear, flickering into existence beside Kakashi, having used the  _ Flying Thunder God  _ kunai to teleport to them once he’d realized they’d stopped following. Minato looked down at the Iwa-nin, who had fallen on his side, scrabbling uselessly at the kunai embedded into his neck, hands slick with the blood pouring from the wound.

Obito stood with his arm still outstretched from throwing the kunai, shoulders heaving as he panted. The Sharingan still spun in his eyes, imprinting the sight of the dying Iwa-nin into his memory.

This was… this was the first time he’d killed someone since he got back. Part of him felt vaguely ill at this realization, but the rest of him realized it had been a necessary sacrifice.

He’d had to save Kakashi.

The four stood in silence for a tense moment, all eyes locked on the now-dead Iwa scout lying limply on the branch, blood seeping into the bark beneath his body.

“…You saved me,” Kakashi was the one to break the silence, turning to Obito with the same wide-eyed expression still on his face. Obito swallowed back bile, forcing his eyes away from the man he’d just killed.

“He was going to kill you,” Obito said, voice almost a whisper. Kakashi blinked owlishly, still struggling to wrap his head around the situation. 

It was then that Rin took notice of Obito’s eyes, and she gasped.

“Obito, your eyes—!” Rin gently grabbed Obito’s face to turn it toward her. She lifted his goggles from his nose, revealing the red of the Sharingan. She gaped at him, surprise coloring her features. Minato and Kakashi looked similarly stunned.

“When did this happen?” Minato asked, voice low. Obito shrugged weakly, rapidly blinking to rid himself of the Sharingan.

“I don’t know,” Obito lied. “I’ve had it for awhile, I guess.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Minato’s voice was firm, but not accusing. Obito just shrugged again.

“It didn’t seem important.”

Kakashi shook his head, snapping himself out of his reverie. “Not important?” He took a step forward, brow furrowing. “It seems like the kind of thing you’d tell your team, don’t you think?”

Minato placed a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Kakashi.” He turned back to Obito, offering a dimmer version of his usual smile. “If Obito isn’t ready to share how he got his Sharingan, then that’s fine. All that matters is that it helped him save you.”

“‘m sorry,” Obito muttered, pulling his goggles back down over his eyes. Kakashi deflated, no longer looking as cross as he had before.

“Don’t worry about it,” Kakashi grumbled. The team descended back into an almost stifling silence, which was eventually broken by Minato.

“I’m sorry I got here so late,” Minato said with a sigh. “Once I noticed you were no longer following me, I came as quickly as I could.”

“It’s alright, Minato-sensei,” Rin said, her voice gentle. “Kakashi and Obito handled the Iwa scout well enough on their own.”

“Speaking of,” Minato then turned to Kakashi, mouth set in a firm line. “Kakashi. What were you thinking, using the Chidori like that?”

Kakashi shrugged, averting his gaze. “It was the easiest way to get rid of the shadow clones. There were so many of them, and they were going to attack Obito and Rin.”

“Still,” Minato sighed again, hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “It was a very risky move. You’ve only just recently learned the technique, Kakashi.”

“I know,” Kakashi muttered, admonished. Minato just shook his head.

“Promise me not to use it again until you have a better handle of it, alright?”

“Yes, sensei.”

—

Team Minato ventured further into the forests of Kusa. Minato himself had left them to go to the front lines, leaving Kakashi in charge of the team.

The three were still shaken by the events that had just transpired, what with Kakashi nearly dying and the revelation of Obito’s Sharingan. Obito himself still felt sick at the fact he’d killed a man, something he’d long since been hardened against in his past life. Being a kid again had softened him, he supposed.

Obito didn’t know how long they’d been traveling for when they ran into the pair of Iwa-nin. The two had jumped onto the branch just ahead of Obito, Kakashi, and Rin, blocking their path.

“Well, well, well,” the Iwa-nin with brown, shaggy hair was the first to speak. “What do we have here? A group of genin, I see.”

“We aren’t genin,” Kakashi growled, though it fell on deaf ears. The first Iwa-nin simply shrugged in response, leaping onto the branch in front of the team. All three took a step back, only to realize the second Iwa-nin had appeared behind them, effectively trapping them.

“Surely, Mahiru would have let us know you were coming,” the first Iwa-nin spoke again, tapping his chin as if in thought. “We were just looking for him, you know. It’s not like him to stay out this long.”

“Well, you won’t be seeing him any time soon,” Kakashi retorted. The first Iwa-nin blinked in surprise, head tilting.

“Oh? And why would that be? Don’t tell me…”

“I killed him,” Obito spoke up, sounding far more confident than he felt. The Iwa-nin, of all things, let out a laugh, throwing his head back.

“ _ You  _ killed him?” He chuckled, looking over the team’s shoulders to his partner. “Did you hear that, Taiseki? Mahiru was taken out by a kid!”

The second Iwa-nin— Taiseki— merely hummed, stoic expression unchanging even in the face of the news his teammate had died.

The scout— Mahiru— had mentioned two names; Kakkō and Taiseki. If the large man was Taiseki, that made the brown-haired man Kakkō.

“Regardless,” Kakkō continued, rolling his shoulders, “you three aren’t getting any further than this, not if I have anything to say about it.” His smile took on a sharper edge, and he withdrew two blades from his sleeves. “Taiseki, get the girl. I’ll take care of these two.”

Taiseki grunted in response, moving forward to grab Rin. Obito turned his back on Kakkō, placing himself between the Iwa-nin and his teammate.

“Don’t touch her,” Obito growled, withdrawing a kunai from his pouch. Taiseki merely raised a disinterested eyebrow, grabbing his own kunai.

“Get out of the way, boy,” Taiseki grumbled, taking a step forward. Obito took a step back, bumping into Rin, who was now pressed between himself and Kakashi. Looking over his shoulder, Obito saw that Kakashi had also withdrawn his weapon, lowered into a fighting stance in front of Kakkō, who looked amused.

“And here I thought this would be easy,” Kakkō said with a sigh, tapping the point of one blade against his chin. Then, he charged Kakashi, and everything went to hell.

Taiseki followed his teammate’s lead and charged at Obito, who quickly activated his Sharingan. His kunai met Taiseki’s with a sharp  _ clang _ of metal against metal, his arms shaking from the force of the man’s blow.

“I’d hate to kill you, boy,” Taiseki’s face was mere inches from Obito’s at this point, Obito nearly collapsing from the weight of the man pushing against him. “Just let me get the girl, and I’ll let you go.”

“Over my dead body,” Obito spat, pushing back hard against Taiseki. The man took a step back, twirling the kunai around his finger.

“So be it.”

He charged again, kunai once again meeting Obito’s. He landed blow after blow, each one met with a  _ clang  _ as Obito blocked them with his own kunai. The Sharingan made it easy to parry his attacks, but the sheer strength behind the man’s blows was taking a toll on Obito. With a pained grunt, Obito was forced backwards, Taiseki’s kunai inching ever closer to his face. His arms shook from exertion, struggling to keep Taiseki at bay.

“Your fancy eyes can’t save you,” Taiseki growled, pushing Obito down with a harsh shove. Obito fell back onto the branch, managing to lift his kunai above his head at the last moment to block another attack.

“Obito!” Rin all but screamed his name. Obito glanced up at her for just a moment, and Taiseki used his distraction to bring a foot down onto his gut, hard.

Obito let out a pitiful wheeze, curling into himself on his side, kunai slipping from his grip. Satisfied, Taiseki stepped back, turning his attention to Rin.

“You’re coming with me, girl.”

Obito could only watch helplessly as Taiseki grabbed Rin around the waist with an arm, lifting her— kicking and screaming— over his shoulder. He seemed heedless of her fists pounded against his back, turning to Kakkō who was still preoccupied with Kakashi.

“I got the girl. Let’s go, Kakkō.”

Kakkō smiled, giving Kakashi one last shove with his blades, sending the boy sprawling back against the branch. The two Iwa-nin then took off with Rin, her screams slowly fading as they moved further into the dense forest.

“God… dammit,” Obito cursed, lifting himself onto shaking arms. Kakashi rolled onto his side to face him, propped up on an elbow. Both boys lay there for a moment, chests heaving, their harsh breathing the only sound in the otherwise now-silent forest.

“Come on, Obito,” Kakashi said as he stood up, extending a hand to his teammate. Obito took it, allowing Kakashi to pull him to his feet.

“What do we do now?” Obito asked, though he already knew the answer Kakashi would give him.

“We continue with the mission,” Kakashi said, though it looked like it pained him to say. “We can get Rin after we destroy the bridge.”

Obito shook his head.

“We should go after Rin now,” he said, stepping past Kakashi. “Who knows if she’d— if she’d still be alive, by the time we got to her.”

“But the mission—”

“I know you think the mission takes top priority, Kakashi,” Obito said, turning to face Kakashi. “But your teammates take priority over that. While it’s bad to abandon your mission, it’s even worse to abandon your teammates.”

Kakashi looked stunned. Obito gave him a wry smile, placing a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder.

“It’s a tough decision to make,” Obito admitted, “and it’s one that ruined your father’s life. But he was a hero for what he did, though I can understand if you don’t want to follow in his footsteps.”

Kakashi’s mouth opened beneath his mask, then closed again. Obito continued.

“Regardless of your decision, I’m gonna go after Rin. You can continue on with the mission alone, if you want—”

“No,” Kakashi said, cutting Obito off. “If you’re going after Rin, then I’m coming with you.”

Obito blinked, taken aback, and then smiled.

“Then let’s go.”

—

Obito already knew where they’d be holding Rin, so he took the lead. Kakashi didn’t question it, probably chalking it up to something to do with Obito’s Sharingan. Which it did, in a way. Obito used his Sharingan to guide them through the forest, following the easiest path through the dense trees.

They encountered Taiseki first, who stood guard at the mouth of the cave. He didn’t seem surprised to see them, merely blinking at the two boys as they landed in front of him.

“Where’s Rin?” Demanded Kakashi, taking a step forward to place himself in front of Obito. Taiseki grunted, nodding his head toward the cave behind him.

“I’m assuming you’re not gonna let us through?” Obito asked, to which Taiseki gave a single shake of his head. Obito shrugged at the look Kakashi shot back at him; it never hurt to ask.

“If you want your friend back, you’re going to have to go through me first.” With that, Taiseki’s hands shot through a series of signs, and he disappeared.

“Where did he go?!” Kakashi whipped his head around, dropping down into a fighting stance. Obito placed a hand on his shoulder, startling the other boy.

“I can still see his chakra signature with my Sharingan,” Obito explained, his head following Taiseki as the man circled around beside them.

“So your fancy eyes are good for something after all,” Taiseki rumbled, his voice causing Kakashi to jump. Obito huffed a laugh through his nose, taking out two kunai, one held in each hand.

“Follow my lead,” Obito told Kakashi. Kakashi nodded, removing his own set of kunai from his pouch.

Obito met Taiseki’s attack with his kunai, crossing his arms above his head. It was easier to parry the attacks with two kunai instead of one, as the use of both arms put less of a strain on him.

“Kakashi!”

Kakashi took the opening Obito had given him to swipe out at where he thought Taiseki to be. The kunai managed to nick Taiseki in the stomach, opening a thin line of red through his clothes. Taiseki jumped back, small droplets of blood visible on the ground where he’d just been standing.

“Nice hit, Kakashi!” Obito called over to his teammate. Kakashi gave a terse nod, still on-edge from being unable to see his opponent.

“I can see how you brats managed to take Mahiru down,” Taiseki growled, a hand pressed to the shallow wound in his stomach to keep the blood at bay. He jumped back again when Obito lunged at him, kunai snagging against his sleeve. For his size, the man was surprisingly nimble.

“Straight ahead!” Obito called to Kakashi, who threw one of his kunai. This one hit Taiseki in the shoulder, though the padding of his flak jacket made it so the kunai didn’t break skin. Taiseki was quick to pull the kunai from his shoulder to keep Kakashi from tracking his position, throwing it to the ground.

“Damn brats,” Taiseki snarled. He lunged for Kakashi, this time, swiping out with the kunai clenched in his fist. Kakashi managed to dodge just in time at Obito’s shout, the kunai nicking his left cheek just below his eye. Before, the attack had blinded Kakashi. Obito was infinitely grateful that it hadn’t quite managed to hit its mark, this time.

Obito took this chance to come up behind Taiseki, jumping onto the man’s back. He dug both of his kunai into the man’s shoulders, anchoring him in place. Taiseki let out a pained howl, backing up against a nearby tree in an attempt to get Obito off. Obito let out a soft  _ oof _ as the breath was pushed out of him, but held on tight.

“Now, Kakashi!”

Kakashi nodded, and charged toward Obito and Taiseki, single kunai held out in front of him. He drove the weapon deep into Taiseki’s stomach, causing the man to hunch over in pain.

Obito removed one of the kunai from the man’s shoulders to quickly slit his throat, jumping off Taiseki’s back just as the man slumped forwards, falling face-first on the ground in front of Kakashi. He flickered back into existence as his jutsu wore off, revealing himself to be dead.

“Good teamwork there, Kakashi,” Obito laughed shakily, stepping over Taiseki to pat Kakashi on the shoulder. Kakashi just nodded, tearing his gaze away from the dead Iwa-nin. 

Both boys turned to look at the mouth of the cave, its dark, yawning expanse open before them, beckoning them in.

Obito took a steadying breath.

“Time to go get Rin.”

—

Obito once again took the lead in guiding himself and Kakashi through the cave, his Sharingan spinning in his eyes. Having it activated for so long was beginning to give him a headache, but he powered through it.

Soon, it would be over.

The cave opened up into a moderately-sized cavern, where they spotted Kakkō knelt over a seemingly unconscious Rin.

“So you managed to make it past Taiseki, I see,” Kakkō said, his voice echoing off the stone walls surrounding them. Obito nodded, though he doubted Kakkō could really see the motion in the dark.

“It was easy enough,” Obito said with a shrug. “Even though he went invisible, I was able to track him with my Sharingan.”

“Taiseki mentioned something about you having ‘fancy eyes’,” Kakkō sneered at them, stepping away from Rin. “Still, I didn’t think he’d go down so easily. You brats really are something else.”

“What did you do to Rin?” Kakashi was the one to speak up this time, edging closer to where Rin was being held. Obito remained at the mouth of the cavern, knowing Kakkō would try and make a run for it once he got the chance.

Kakkō shrugged in the darkness. “I put her under a genjutsu to try and get her to spill Konoha’s war tactics. Damn brat’s stubborn, though. Couldn’t get anything out of her, even with the genjutsu.”

_ That’s our Rin _ , Obito thought smugly.

Kakashi edged closer to Rin and Kakkō, withdrawing a tantō blade that shone softly in the dimness of the cave. Kakkō tensed as he caught sight of the blade, taking a step back and toward the mouth of the cavern.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Obito warned as Kakkō moved closer to the exit. Now that he was closer, Obito could make out Kakkō’s scowl, even without the use of the Sharingan.

“Fucking brats,” Kakkō snarled. He began to weave through several hand signs; panic shot through Obito as he realized what he was about to do.

He was going to collapse the cave.

Thinking quickly, Obito tackled Kakkō to the ground, disrupting his hand signs. The man let out a shout, roughly shoving Obito off of him and making a run for the entrance.

“Kakashi!”

Kakashi turned from where he stood at Rin’s side, having released her from the genjutsu. He swiftly took off after Kakkō, the tantō in his hand glowing a bright white in the darkness of the cave, lighting up the small cavern.

Obito scrambled to his feet, running over to Rin’s side. He slung her arm over his shoulder, helping her to stand.

“We need to go,” Obito said urgently. “Kakkō’s going to try and cause a cave-in.”

Rin nodded, hurrying along the best she could beside Obito. Ahead of them, Kakashi had managed to corner Kakkō, holding the tantō to the man’s throat, the white light illuminating his face, which was twisted into a mix of fear and anger.

“I don’t care if I die,” Kakkō snarled, once again beginning to weave through hand signs, “as long as I take you brats out with me!”

“Don’t let him finish that jutsu!” Obito called out to Kakashi. “He’s trying to collapse the cave!”

“Observant”, Kakkō spat, turning his glare to Obito. “You, especially, I can’t wait to see die.”

“We need to hurry before enforcements come,” Obito said, pulling Rin along with him. He stopped beside Kakashi, who cast them a quick glance. Without turning to look back at Kakkō, Kakashi pressed the blade into the man’s throat, the bright-white light momentarily dulled by the blood that ran across the blade. Kakkō let out a sputtering gasp before collapsing against the wall of the cave, blood running from the slash in his neck and soaking into his uniform, further darkening the already-dark fabric.

Obito waited for Kakashi to put the tantō away before grabbing him by the wrist, pulling him and Rin along after him as he ran through the cave.

Though he knew the cave would no longer collapse, Obito felt himself growing claustrophobic as they ran through the winding tunnels. He needed to get  _ out _ .

“Slow down, Obito!” Rin said with a wince, struggling to keep up with him. “We’re safe! Kakashi killed him, he can’t collapse the cave anymore!”

“Rin’s right, Obito,” Kakashi said, tugging his wrist free of Obito’s grip. He grabbed the other boy by the shoulder, pulling him to an abrupt stop. “There’s no need to—”

Obito gasped, suddenly unable to breathe. He fell to his knees, the Sharingan flickering in his eyes before it dissipated entirely, leaving him in the darkness of the cave.

“Obito?” Rin knelt by his side, hand on his back. “Obito, what’s wrong?”

“I can’t—” Obito struggled to speak, pulling frantically at the high collar of his uniform as if that was what was restricting his breathing. “Rin, I can’t— I can’t  _ breathe _ .”

“We need to get him out of here,” Rin said decisively. “He’s panicking, Kakashi. Can you help me carry him?”

Kakashi nodded, taking Obito’s arm and hoisting him up. He and Rin each placed Obito’s arms around their shoulders, keeping him upright. Obito tried to walk, but found that his legs refused to cooperate with him. Rin and Kakashi all but dragged him out of the cave, what little sunlight that filtered through the trees momentarily blinding the three. Obito nearly collapsed in relief once they were outside the cave, slumping heavily against Kakashi. Rin helped Kakashi lower him to the ground, kneeling beside him.

“Obito? Can you hear me?” Obito nodded shakily, hands clenched at his knees. His breathing slowly but surely returned to normal, until he was no longer gasping for breath. Kakashi stood awkwardly at his side, looking down at his teammate with open worry on his face.

“What happened to him?”

“He had a panic attack,” Rin explained, rubbing slow, comforting circles into Obito’s back. “I think he thought that Kakkō was still somehow going to collapse the cave.”

“It’s what he did… before…” Obito managed to get out, not really thinking of his words. Kakashi and Rin exchanged a look from over Obito’s shoulders, brows furrowing.

“‘Before’? What do you mean ‘before’, Obito?”

Obito snapped his mouth shut, realizing his mistake. Luckily, he was saved from answering by the arrival of several more Iwa-nin; the reinforcements he’d warned Rin and Kakashi about.

“I’ll hold them off,” Kakashi said, once again withdrawing his tantō. Kakkō’s blood was still smeared along the edge, a stark red against the glowing white of the blade. Kakashi turned to Rin and Obito, who were still knelt on the ground. “Rin, keep an eye on Obito. You two can join me once he’s feeling better.”

By now, the Iwa-nin had effectively surrounded the three, weapons drawn. Kakashi swung his tantō through the air, the glowing blade leaving streaks of bright-white chakra in its wake.

The Iwa-nin were not visibly cowed by the display. There was a tense moment where none of them moved, and then Kakashi charged forward, blade held out horizontally in front of him.

Despite all the fighting they’d done that day, Kakashi showed no signs of fatigue as he kept the numerous Iwa-nin at bay. He moved quickly and efficiently, swiping out with his tantō but never connecting. The Iwa-nin were unable to land any hits in turn, struggling to keep up with Kakashi’s speed.

Once Obito felt his heartbeat slow to something almost normal, he stood up on shaky legs, leaning against Rin as he rose from the ground. Screwing his eyes shut, Obito once again called on the Sharingan, opening his eyes to reveal the pinwheel of the Mangekyō.

Not what he was going for, but it would do.

Being an evolved form of his regular Sharingan, the Mangekyō made things even clearer to Obito. He could effectively predict the Iwa-nin’s moves before they went through with them, allowing him to easily counter the attacks aimed his way.

Obito moved so he was back-to-back with Kakashi, a kunai clenched in either fist. They were the same kunai he’d used to kill Taiseki, the metal dulled by blood that had long-since dried. It would be a pain to get off, but that was a problem for later.

Rin, too, eventually joined the fray, staying close to her teammates with her own kunai held out a length. Together, the three managed to hold off the Iwa-nin, even managing to strike several of them down. Despite this, there were far too many for them to hold off for much longer.

Minato chose this time to show up, coming up behind the Iwa-nin and swiftly striking them down. Obito let out a hoarse cheer when Minato joined them, earning him a quick flash of a smile from his sensei.

With Minato’s help, the team made quick work of the remaining Iwa-nin, standing in a loose circle with their backs to each other. All three kids were breathing heavily, though Minato looked none the worse for wear. He gave his team a sunny smile, nonchalantly wiping the blood from his weapon as he turned to look at them.

“Great job,” he praised, “you handled yourselves well.”

“Thank you, sensei,” Obito said with a bow of his head. Minato laughed, reaching over to ruffle his hair.

“Of course! Now, shall we continue on with the mission?”

—

The actual completion of the mission was the easy part.

Obito stood beside Kakashi in the rubble of Kannabi bridge, Minato and Rin standing on what little of the structure remained. 

It took everything Obito had in him not to collapse in relief right then and there; he’d  _ survived _ , and none of his teammates had gotten seriously hurt. He’d successfully  _ changed  _ fate.

“You look like you’re about to fall over,” Kakashi commented, placing a hand on Obito’s shoulder. “Come on; let’s get back to Minato-sensei and Rin, and then we can head back home.”

Obito nodded, smiling tiredly.

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the first big change from canon! i’ve never read/watched naruto, so i’m basing all this off of the wiki, so sorry if anything’s off!!  
> hope you enjoy regardless!


	5. familiar faces

Being a chūnin came with multiple perks; taking solo missions was one of them.

While he was still bonded to his team, Obito was hesitant to get them involved in this… particular matter. After successfully changing fate during the Kannabi Bridge mission, Madara’s request had come back to the forefront of his mind. With that one big hurdle out of the way, Obito was now able to focus on fulfilling Madara’s request.

Thinking back to his encounter with the elder Uchiha in purgatory, Madara’s second request came to mind; to find him, and to kill him.

This was why Obito found himself taking a solo mission to Takigakure, though his true destination lay in the northernmost lands between Taki and the yet-to-be-formed Otogakure; the Mountain’s Graveyard.

Obito came to a stop on a cliff overlooking the Mountain’s Graveyard. True to its name, the bones of large, ancient animals lay scattered about, long since reclaimed by the nature surrounding them. With such dense foliage covering the ground, it would be difficult to locate the entrance to the mines that led to the Ōtsutsuki Clan ruins, and by extension, Madara. Luckily, Obito had both his memory and his Sharingan— regular and Mangekyō— to rely on in that regard.

It took some time to find the entrance to the mines. When Obito finally found them, a little over an hour had passed; that, alongside his near day-long journey, meant that the sun had begun to set. What little light filtered through the dense canopy of trees cast long, eerie shadows across the ground, framing the entrance to the mines.

Taking a breath, Obito stepped foot into the mines.

—

The cave was just as he’d remembered it.

Obito made his way through the dark, winding tunnels. He ducked under large tree roots and stepped over the skeletal remains of animals, making his way to the central chamber.

Eventually, the narrow passage opened up into a vast, underground cavern, carved out beneath the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. There, in a tangle of wires and large, sprawling roots, was the man he’d come all this way for.

“Hello, Obito.” Madara’s voice was as Obito had remembered it; old, weak and crooning. Obito came to a stop several meters away from the elderly Uchiha, hesitant to step closer.

“Madara,” Obito said, his voice echoing off the cavernous walls of the chamber. Madara smiled at him, pale skin marred by deep wrinkles.

“Obito Uchiha,” Madara rasped, “I was wondering when you’d arrive.”

“How did you know I was coming?” Obito asked warily. Madara just laughed, which quickly turned into a hacking cough. Obito winced in sympathy.

“I know many things, Obito,” Madara said, ever cryptic, gesturing toward the chamber at large with a frail, bony hand. “I have eyes and ears everywhere.”

Obito tensed as he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, whipping around to locate the source. There, crouched amongst the roots, was a white, humanoid figure.

_ Zetsu _ . 

Of course.

“So you’ve been watching me,” Obito said, turning back to face Madara. Madara’s smile widened.

“Of course I have, Obito,” Madara crooned, “I make a habit of keeping an eye on my kin.”

Obito shuddered involuntarily; how long had Madara been watching him? Since he got back? Since  _ before _ he got back? What did he know? How  _ much  _ did he know?

“You’re an odd one, Obito,” Madara said, tilting his head, “I think I have you figured out, and then you go and do something unexpected. It’s as entertaining as it is frustrating.”

Obito just shrugged, unsure of what to say to that.

“Come closer, Obito,” Madara beckoned him with a thin, bony finger. Hesitantly, Obito took a step forward. Madara shook his head in amusement, and beckoned again. “Closer.”

Obito took another step, and then another, until he was less than a meter away from Madara. Satisfied, Madara settled back in his seat. The Zetsu on the roots had moved closer as well, wary of the newcomer getting so close to its master. It took everything Obito had to keep his eyes on Madara and not the Zetsu lingering in the corner of his vision.

“Tell me, Obito,” said Madara, propping up his head on a hand, “when did you get your Sharingan?”

Shit. Obito swallowed nervously, unsure of what to say. Did he tell the truth? Madara would surely know if he was lying, but…

He didn’t want to know what Madara would do if he knew his future— past?— self had sent Obito back in time.

Obito decided on something between a truth and a lie.

“I had a… strange dream,” Obito said, averting his gaze to the space atop Madara’s head. “When I woke up, I realized I had developed the Sharingan.”

“I see,” Madara nodded slowly. “In all my years, I’ve never heard of someone developing the Sharingan because of a  _ dream _ . Tell me, Obito, what did you dream about?”

“I dreamt of a life I have yet to live,” Obito said, voice quavering ever-so-slightly. “I dreamt I fell down a dark path, a path led by vengeance forced on me by a man who wanted nothing more than to see the world burn.”

Madara hummed, tapping a finger against his sunken cheek. “And who was this man you dreamt of?”

“You.”

Madara shot up in his seat, casual posture gone. He fixed Obito with a sharp, observant gaze that belied his years, eyes clearer than Obito had ever seen them.

“Me?” Madara’s hands curled into tight fists against his thighs. “That’s not— are you  _ sure  _ it was just a dream?”

_ Shit _ . Obito faltered, just for a moment, but that was all Madara needed for an answer.

“So the jutsu worked,” Madara laughed that ragged, raspy laugh of his, voice edged by hysteria. “After all these years, it finally worked!”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about—”

“ _ Silence! _ ” Madara snapped, shutting Obito up. “You know damn well what I’m talking about. Tell me, Obito, why you? Why, of all people, did I choose  _ you? _ ”

“I don’t know!” Obito’s voice was pitched by several octaves, nearly yelling at the withered man in front of him. “Because of all the shit you put me through, I guess! You gave me— you gave me the Akastuki rings, and told me to find them so they would help me, but—!”

“The Akatsuki?” Madara cut him off again. “You mean the resistance group that just recently formed in Amegakure? What do they have to do with this?”

“You— I— we infiltrated them,” Obito explained, voice softening from its previous pitch, “so you could use them to complete your Eye of the Moon Plan.”

“I see,” Madara looked thoughtful, finally settling back into his seat once more. “What else did I tell you, before I sent you back?”

Obito swallowed thickly. “You— you asked me to kill you.”

Madara’s eyes widened at this. He leaned forward, hands clasped in front of him.

They were shaking.

“And do you plan on going through with that request?”

Obito nodded, hesitant at first, and then with conviction. “Yes, I do.”

Madara’s face twisted into a scowl at this, and he rose from his seat, the wires connecting to his body trailing behind him. Obito took a step back, only to bump into the Zetsu who had appeared behind him. Obito looked between the Zetsu and Madara frantically.

He was trapped.

“I hope you know, Obito,” Madara snarled, shambling closer to the younger Uchiha, “that I won’t go down without a fight.”

Obito was panicking, now. He removed a kunai from the pouch at his hip with shaking hands, holding it out toward Madara.

“D-don’t come any closer!” His voice came out in a pitiful squeak. Madara just leered at him, expression darkening.

“Zetsu!”

The Zetsu behind Obito suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders, wrenching the kunai from his grasp. Obito gasped as the Zetsu shoved him to the ground at Madara’s feet, the elder Uchiha looming over the boy menacingly.

“Your mission ends here, Obito Uchiha.”

The Rinnegan spun to life in Madara’s visible eye, staring almost hypnotically down at Obito. In turn, Obito activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, glaring up at Madara the best he could.

“Foolish boy,” Madara spat, “you think the power of the Mangekyō comes anything close to the power of the Rinnegan?!”

Obito bared his teeth at Madara, rising back to his feet. He put a hand on his kunai pouch, only to have his arm wrenched back by the Zetsu, eliciting a shout of pain.

“Keep him still,” Madara told the Zetsu, a smile creeping its way onto his face, “this won’t take long at all.”

Madara approached Obito with agonizing slowness, clearly relishing in the boy’s growing panic. Obito struggled against the Zetsu, but the damn thing was strong. Madara was now face-to-face with Obito, his hunched stature leaving them of a height. Obito stared into the pupil at the center of the rings of the Rinnegan, his breath coming in quick, panicked gasps.

He couldn’t die, not at the hands of the man who sent him back! He hadn’t even completed Madara’s request!

Obito continued to struggle against the Zetsu, though quickly realized his efforts were fruitless. He tried tugging his wrists free, but the Zetsu held on tight, blunt nails digging into his skin. He dug his heel into the Zetsu’s foot, but the creature didn’t even flinch.

“While it pains me to kill one of my kin,” Madara said, bringing a hand up to cup Obito’s cheek, “you have left me with no other choice.”

Obito grimaced at Madara’s cold, rough touch. Thoughts clouded by panic, Obito did the only thing he could think to do.

He headbutted Madara, hard.

The metal of his hitai-ate met Madara’s forehead with a sharp  _ smack _ , sending the elder Uchiha stumbling back. Obito used his backwards momentum to hit the Zetsu with the back of his head, feeling the creature’s nose break beneath his skull.

The Zetsu’s grip loosened, and Obito wrenched free, diving for the kunai that had been discarded on the ground. Seeing as Madara was still struggling to recover from the blow, Obito used this moment to slash the Zetsu’s throat, green blood splattering against his goggles. The Zetsu let out a wet gurgle before collapsing to the ground, clawing uselessly at the gash on its throat.

Obito whirled back around to face Madara, who held his bleeding forehead with both hands. The hitai-ate had opened a cut in his frail skin, which was now bleeding into his eyes.

“Damn you, Obito Uchiha!” Madara hissed, glaring up at Obito through his hands. “I’ll kill you!”

Obito skirted around Madara, his sights on the wires sticking out of the old man’s back. With brutal efficiency, Obito sliced the wires with his kunai, one by one, disconnecting Madara from his life support.

With a roar of rage, Madara spun to face Obito, grabbing for him. Obito dodged his hands, jumping back so he was well out of reach of the elder Uchiha.

Madara sneered at him, hands flying through a series of signs. Obito saw what was coming from a mile away, and deftly dodged the roots that sprung out from the ground to try and restrain him.

“You little  _ brat! _ ” Madara spat, though he had already begun to visibly weaken from being disconnected from his life support. Obito stayed at a distance, dodging the various roots that Madara sent his way in an attempt to capture him.

Madara’s attacks slowly but surely began to slow, his movements becoming sluggish and heavy. It seemed like it hurt him to move, but he continued to go after Obito, face twisted into a fierce scowl all the while. 

Eventually, Madara simply collapsed, his breathing harsh and labored. He dug his nails into the ground, as if trying to claw his way closer to Obito.

Obito watched the display with something akin to pity, only stepping closer when he was sure Madara was no longer able to attack. The Rinnegan in the elder Uchiha’s eyes had faded, leaving behind a quickly-dulling black.

“You…” Madara rasped, voice dissolving into a fit of hacking coughs. “I can see why I chose you to send back, now…

“You’re an odd one, Obito Uchiha,” Madara said, repeating his earlier words. “Very odd, indeed…”

Obito decided to take mercy on Madara, kneeling down beside the dying man. With one swift motion, Obito slit his throat, watching as the life left Madara’s dark eyes.

With a shaking hand, Obito pressed Madara’s eyelids closed.

—

Obito was still shaking when he made it to the chamber where the rest of the Zetsu were held.

There weren’t as many as he remembered, though that proved to be convenient for his cause. They stood stock-still, eyes closed as if in sleep, though Obito knew that they simply hadn’t been activated yet.

And he didn’t plan on ever letting them be.

Taking a breath, Obito gathered his chakra into a single point, holding his breath for a moment. Then, he released it, alongside a large fireball that he sent barreling toward the stationary Zetsu. The flames easily engulfed the numerous Zetsu, the only sound in the cavern being the crackling of fire as it burned the sickly pale-white bodies. The Zetsu didn’t even open their eyes or make a noise as they were burnt to ashes, leaving nothing behind but unsalvageable, charred remains.

Obito collapsed to his knees, suddenly drained. While he knew he had to leave the ruins and return home, he couldn’t bring himself to move.

Obito heard a soft scuttling come from behind him. Turning his head, he was met with the small, beady yellow eyes of Black Zetsu, who was crouched down and staring at him. Obito slowly rose to his feet, already withdrawing a kunai.

“It’s all over, Zetsu,” Obito said, his voice flat and tired. “Your plan will never come to fruition, now.”

“Obito Uchiha,” Black Zetsu hissed, hunkering in on itself as Obito approached. It shivered, almost like it was afraid. “Why? Why have you done this?”

“I won’t stand for your corruption any longer,” Obito said, pointing the kunai at Zetsu’s throat. The creature gasped, falling back onto its haunches. “You’ve stayed around for far too long. You should have died with Kaguya.”

“Princess Kaguya isn’t dead,” Black Zetsu protested, glaring up at Obito. “She will live again! I will make sure of it—!”

Obito plunged his kunai into Black Zetsu’s throat, cutting it off. The creature let out a wet, guttural shriek, wrenching itself backwards and off the kunai. Thick, black blood spilled from the wound like tar, plopping thickly onto the ground below. Obito watched disinterestedly as Black Zetsu cursed him and clawed at its throat, beady eyes wide and filled with fear and hatred.

“You have made a grave mistake, Obito Uchiha,” Black Zetsu gurgled, falling limply onto its side. It was breathing heavily, its breaths thick and wet with blood. “You have made… a grave… mistake…”

Obito stepped past the dying Black Zetsu, carelessly nudging it out of the way with his foot.

“The only mistake I made,” Obito said, “was not doing this the first time around.”

—

When Obito exited the mines, he was met with the sight of the full moon hanging high in the sky. He thought back to when the Infinite Tsukuyomi had been reflected on the moon, blood red against a starry, black sky. Obito shook his head, ridding himself of the image.

He was tired, drained both emotionally and physically from his encounter with Madara and Black Zetsu. He had successfully rid the shinobi world of two of its worst villains, but why didn’t he feel accomplished?

With a sigh, Obiro used what meagre supplies he had brought along with him to set up camp. Rolling out his bedroll, Obito looked back up to the sky, squinting slightly against the moonlight.

He had completed one of Madara’s requests; all he had to do was complete the other.

It was time to recruit the Akatsuki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we’re finally getting into the meat of things!
> 
> this chapter was hard to write, but i had a blast doing it! i hope you enjoy it :3


	6. old friends

Returning home from the Mountain’s Graveyard, Obito felt like a considerable weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It was like the ghost of Madara had finally stopped haunting him. Or maybe it was because the perpetual gaze of the Zetsu had finally been relinquished, giving Obito a sense of peace he never realized he hadn’t felt up until now.

Regardless, Obito felt lighter; he felt _free_.

Now that one of Madara’s requests had been completed, it was time to complete the other; to right the wrongs of the past, and to recruit the Akatsuki to his cause by giving them back their rings.

Obito didn’t know where to start.

Konan and Nagato, he figured, would be a good starting point. But with all that was currently going down in Amegakure, going there alone would be a death sentence, and he was hesitant to get his team involved in the matter.

Another good starting point would be Kisame, the man Obito had entrusted the Eye of the Moon Plan with. Kisame had died a good man, in the end, and Obito was looking forward to having him on his side again. But unless he could get to Kirigakure— which was also a mess, thanks to Madara— there was no way he could get to him.

That left him with the only Akatsuki member who resided in Konoha; Itachi.

—

Obito fingered the ring in his pocket nervously.

He was really going to do it. He was going to bring back Itachi’s memories.

Part of him was disgusted at himself for doing this; he was taking away the boy’s chance at a childhood, if Itachi’s upbringing could even be considered one. Regardless, it was entirely unfair and completely selfish of Obito to put such a burden on the young boy; a lifetime worth of memories would be a lot for Itachi to handle, no matter how mature he may be.

The other part of Obito was just tired of being alone in this.

Obito was easily able to track down Itachi in the compound. The boy would just now be headed back from his training with his father; something Obito still found absurd, considering Itachi’s age.

He caught sight of the boy as he was heading home, and flagged him down with a wave.

“Hey, Itachi!”

“Hello, Obito,” Itachi gave a small smile as Obito approached. Obito returned it with one of his own, though it felt strained at the edges.

“Sorry this is so sudden,” Obito heard himself say as he dug through his pockets, “but I have a gift for you.”

“A gift?” Itachi’s dark eyes lit up at the prospect of a gift. Still so young… Obito briefly considered not giving Itachi the ring at all, but he had already pulled it from his pocket, holding it loosely in his fist.

Obito’s heart was in his throat as he gave the ring to Itachi, smile wavering. Itachi didn’t seem to notice, taking the ring with a look of awe on his face.

“It’s beautiful,” breathed Itachi, looking up at Obito. “For me?”

“For you,” said Obito, throat tightening around the words. He swallowed as he watched Itachi study the ring, running his finger over the engraved kanji.

“It’s too big,” Itachi said as he slipped the ring onto his right hand; on the ring finger. Obito’s heart was pounding in his ears as he watched the ring tighten around Itachi’s finger, the younger Uchiha’s mouth opening in silent surprise before he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Panic shot through Obito as he rushed to Itachi’s side, kneeling beside the fallen boy.

“Itachi? Itachi!” Obito shook his shoulder, voice pitched frantically. Itachi’s head lolled to the side, eyes fluttering open. He groaned in pain, bleary eyes landing on Obito. Recognition flashed across his face, but Obito could tell Itachi was anything but happy to see him.

“ _Tobi_ ,” Itachi hissed, rising to unsteady feet. He jerked away when Obito reached out to help him, the older Uchiha’s hand falling uselessly to his side.

“I’m not Tobi,” Obito argued weakly, though he wasn’t sure if he was talking to himself or Itachi.

“You don’t look like him, but you have his chakra signature,” Itachi said, glaring up at Obito. He took a shaky step forward, glare deepening when Obito moved to help him. “Don’t touch me.”

“Alright,” Obito held his hands up placatingly, voice slightly pained. “I won’t— I won’t touch you.”

Itachi nodded once, before turning his attention down to himself. His dark eyes widened as he took in his appearance, hands shooting up to pat across his body as if to make sure it was real.

“I’m— I’m a _child_ ,” Itachi gasped, blinking in surprise when he heard his own voice. He turned back to look up at Obito, Sharingan spinning in his eyes. The look he gave the older boy was near _murderous_.

“What did you _do_ to me?” Itachi demanded icily, the threat of violence evident in his tone. Obito took a single step back; despite being a child, Obito had no delusions the younger boy couldn’t seriously hurt him if he wanted to.

“I-I can explain—”

“Then explain,” Itachi snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. Obito didn’t remember Itachi being this testy. Perhaps that was a side-effect of being a child again; the inability to properly control his emotions.

“I will,” Obito promised, “just— not here, okay?”

“…Alright,” Itachi said with a single, sharp nod. Obito let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding; at least Itachi seemed willing to cooperate.

“Okay,” Obito swallowed, taking a steadying breath. He turned on his heel, keeping his eyes trained on Itachi. “Follow me.”

—

Obito led Itachi back to his house, casting glances back at the younger boy all the while. He’d had to slow his pace for Itachi to comfortably keep up, which earned him a withering glare.

The two arrived at Obito’s house, Obito holding the door open behind him for Itachi. Peering into the kitchen, Obito felt a wave of relief upon seeing his grandmother wasn’t there. He hadn’t been looking forward to explaining Itachi’s presence to her; the boy was widely-known across the compound, after all, being Fugaku and Mikoto’s son and whatnot.

Obito turned back around to see Itachi respectfully removing his shoes at the door. Biting back an amused smile that Obito was sure would’ve set Itachi off, he followed suit, gesturing for Itachi to follow him further into the house.

Once inside his room, Obito closed the door, turning to face Itachi. The young boy had moved against the far wall, as far away as he could physically be from Obito, and was watching him expectantly with his arms crossed. He kept his eyes on him as Obito moved to sit at the edge of his bed, rubbing his temples with a sigh.

The two sat in tense silence for a moment, interrupted by Itachi’s flat voice cutting through the air.

“Explain.”

“You see that ring on your finger?” Obito asked, prompting Itachi to glance down at his hand. He waited until Itachi had nodded to continue. “That’s the same ring you had in the Akatsuki. It gave you back your memories.”

“My memories?” Itachi asked. Obito nodded.

“Of your past life. Or your future; I don’t know the specifics, but—”

“I don’t care,” Itachi snapped, cutting Obito off. “Why did you give it to me?”

“You’ve heard of Madara Uchiha, right?” Itachi nodded again. “This is gonna sound crazy, but he met me in purgatory after I died during the Fourth Shinobi World War. He gave me the ten Akatsuki rings and sent me back in time, to right the wrongs of the past.”

“He sent you back in time?” Itachi repeated disbelievingly. Obito nodded.

“I know it’s crazy, but—”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Itachi butted in, voice icy. Obito bit back a sigh; he was growing tired of Itachi continuously interrupting him.

“I gave it to you,” Obito explained slowly, “because I want to reform the Akatsuki.”

Itachi bristled, nails digging into his crossed arms. “What makes you think I’d want to join the Akatsuki again? I didn’t do it out of choice, the first time.”

“Because we’d be the good guys, this time around,” Obito said. “We’d be pacifists, peacemakers; we’d put a stop to unnecessary violence. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted, Itachi?”

Itachi’s shoulders rose defensively, averting his eyes. Eventually, though, he nodded.

“…Yes.”

“We could have that, if you help me,” Obito said, offering a slight smile. He stood from the edge of his bed, offering Itachi his hand. Hesitantly, Itachi took it.

“Then it’s settled,” Obito’s smile widened. “We’re reforming the Akatsuki.”

—

Obito and Itachi had moved to sit atop Obito’s bed. Itachi sat with his knees tucked beneath him, hands clasped politely atop his thighs. Obito was all but sprawled out against his bed, propped up by his arms behind him.

“Originally, my first thought had been to get to Nagato and Konan,” Obito was explaining, gaze cast upwards toward his ceiling. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the first iteration of the Akatsuki was recently formed in Ame. It’s a mess up there.”

“I can imagine,” Itachi agreed softly. He’d calmed down from when Obito had first given him the ring, but still eyed the older boy warily.

“My second thought was to find Kisame,” Obito continued, heedless of the way Itachi stiffened at the mention of his old partner. “But because of Madara’s involvement, the situation in Kiri is arguably worse than the situation in Ame. Did you know Madara had the Mizukage under a genjutsu for years? He’s dead, now, but I still wonder—”

“So you couldn’t have gone to Kiri, either,” Itachi said, cutting Obito off, “which left me as your only option.”

“Exactly,” Obito said, shooting Itachi an appraising smile. “I feel bad for doing it, you know, since you’re just a kid. It seemed unfair to bring back your memories when you’d barely even had a childhood.”

“But you did it anyway,” Itachi said coldly. Obito winced. Itachi just shook his head. “It’s too late to go back on it now. But I’m still upset with you about it, and probably will be for a while. Just so you know.”

“That’s perfectly understandable,” Obito said, voice slightly strained. “I wouldn’t have done it if I’d had another choice, I hope you realize that.”

“It’s best not to dwell on it,” Itachi said, brushing Obito off. He quickly changed the subject. “You said you’d been sent back with all ten Akatsuki rings, correct? What do you plan to do about the other members?”

“Well,” Obito brought his hand to his chin in thought. “Hidan and Deidara are still kids, at this point, so they aren’t really options. Sasori would already be a puppet, so I don’t know if the ring would even work on him, or if he’d want to help. Kakuzu was one of the first members of the Akatsuki, so maybe he’d be able to help, but I have no idea how to find him.”

“Orochimaru was also an original member of the Akatsuki,” Itachi suggested with a shrug. Obito sat up, suddenly, snapping his fingers. Itachi startled.

“Orochimaru!” He exclaimed. “ _That’s_ how we can get the rings to Nagato and Konan! They were orphans before the Akatsuki, along with their friend Yahiko. And they were raised by the Sannin!”

“You’d want to get Orochimaru involved?” Itachi asked warily. “How do you know we can trust him?”

“He’s a Sannin,” Obito said, like that explained everything. Itachi shook his head.

“He’s also creepy, quite frankly, and tried to steal my body once,” Itachi retorted. “He also spent _years_ chasing after Sasuke to steal his body, as well. I’m not sure if we can trust him.”

“He’s our best bet at getting to Nagato and Konan, though,” Obito said, voice bordering dangerously on a whine. Itachi deflated with a sigh.

“What about Kisame? I know you said Kiri is a mess, but—”

“I think my team had a mission to Kiri in a few days,” Obito said, tapping his chin. “I _think_. I could give it to him then.”

Itachi nodded, oddly tense. Obito cocked his head at him questioningly.

“What? You aren’t excited to see your partner again?”

“Not really,” Itachi admitted quietly. “He hates liars, and I lied to him throughout our whole partnership. Once he figures that out, he’ll hate me.”

Obito shifted closer to Itachi, placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. Surprisingly, Itachi didn’t brush it off.

“I may not have known Kisame as well as you did,” Obito said softly, “but I know for a fact he could never hate you. Hell, I’m pretty sure the only reason he stayed in the Akatsuki as long as he did was because you were there, Itachi.

“When you died, it broke him. It really did. He cared about you, Itachi. Even if you lied to him throughout your whole partnership, I’m almost certain he could never bring himself to hate you.”

Itachi made a noise suspiciously like a sniffle. “Are you sure?”

“Like I said, I’m almost certain,” Obito offered what he hoped was a comforting smile, and patted Itachi’s shoulder. “But the only way to know for sure would be to ask him yourself.”

“Yeah,” Itachi said, nodding slowly. “Yeah, okay.”

—

Obito had insisted on walking Itachi home, despite the younger Uchiha’s protests. The two walked in a companionable silence, only broken by the occasional scuffing of their feet against the stone path beneath them.

“What about my parents?” Itachi spoke up suddenly, voice oddly reserved. Obito turned to look at him, eyebrow raised.

“What about them?”

“They’ll notice if I act… differently,” Itachi elaborated, drawing in on himself. “What should I do?”

“Just… try and act the same as you usually would,” Obito said with a shrug. “It’s what worked for me.”

“It’s going to be hard to act normal,” Itachi admitted, “especially without Sasuke. It’ll be another year until he’s born. What if he isn’t even born, this time, because of how much has already changed?”

“I’m sure he’ll still be born, Itachi,” Obito assured the younger boy. “I’m pretty sure none of the changes I’ve made so far will affect whether or not your parents decide to—”

“Do _not_ even finish that thought!” Itachi exclaimed, flushing red.

Obito just laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i sincerely hope itachi isn’t too out of character in this! i have a hard time writing him, rip
> 
> anyways, i hope you enjoy regardless! apologies for the shorter chapter <3


	7. new allies

The following morning found Itachi at Obito’s door. The young boy knocked politely, so softly that Obito barely even heard it.

“Obito, would you be a dear and get the door?” His grandmother called from the kitchen, where she was making breakfast. Obito gave a grunt of affirmation, rolling out of bed and shuffling to the door.

“Good morning, Obito,” Itachi said when Obito opened the door. Obito blinked, taken aback.

“Itachi? What are you doing here?”

“I have some news about Orochimaru,” Itachi explained. “I’ll tell you inside.”

“…Okay,” Obito acquiesced, moving aside to let Itachi in.

“Who is it, Obito?” His grandmother asked, poking her head out from this kitchen. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

“Obito, I didn’t know you were friends with Itachi.”

Obito shrugged, watching from the corner of his eye as Itachi removed his shoes at the door. “I’ve known him for awhile. It just never came up, I guess.”

“Pardon the intrusion,” Itachi said when he saw Obito’s grandmother peering out at him. Hearing this, she broke out into a smile.

“None of that! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Itachi.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Uchiha-san,” Itachi said with a slight bow of his head. Obito’s grandmother tutted.

“Please, call me ‘bāchan’; it’s what Obito calls me. We’re family, after all!”

“Alright… bāchan,” Itachi’s face twisted a bit as he tried out the word on his tongue. Obito’s grandmother absolutely  _ beamed _ .

“Have you already eaten today, Itachi? I was just making breakfast.”

“I have,” Itachi said, “but thank you for the offer.”

“Of course!” Obito’s grandmother smiled warmly, moving back into the kitchen. “Just let me know if you boys need anything, alright?”

“Thanks, bāchan!” Obito called, grabbing Itachi by the wrist. “We’re gonna be in my room.”

“Have fun, you two!”

Obito gently tugged Itachi into his room, closing the door behind him.

“Sorry about that, Itachi,” Obito sighed. Itachi shook his head.

“It’s alright,” he said, a soft smile working its way onto his face. “She’s a very nice lady. I’ve never had a grandmother, myself.”

“Well, I’m glad you like her,” Obito said, then groaned in embarrassment. “‘Call me bāchan’! I can’t believe she said that!”

Itachi just giggled, settling down on Obito’s bed. Obito all but threw himself down beside him, jostling the younger boy.

“You said you had some news about Orochimaru?” Obito prompted. Itachi nodded.

“Yes. I asked my dad about him, and he… he said Orochimaru should still be in Konoha, along with the rest of the Sannin.”

“That’s a relief,” Obito said. “Why? Did you think he’d be gone?”

“I think he left around the time Minato became Hokage,” Itachi explained. “I didn’t know if he’d still be here or not.”

“Well, Minato-sensei won’t become Hokage for another…” Obito trailed off, mentally doing the math. “Three or four months? I know he became Hokage a little after the war ended.”

“Okay,” Itachi nodded. “So, how do we get to Orochimaru?”

“Well, we have to give him his ring, first and foremost,” Obito said, slipping off the bed and moving toward his dresser. “Do you remember which ring was his?”

“I believe it was  _ kū _ ,” Itachi said. Nodding, Obito dug through his clothes, pulling out the blue ring reading  _ kū _ . Alongside it, he pulled out the rings reading  _ rei _ — for Nagato— and  _ haku _ — for Konan.

“Now, how to get to Orochimaru…” Obito pursed his lips in thought. “I think Jiraiya was Minato’s old genin sensei, so maybe we could ask him?”

“It’s our best bet,” Itachi said with a shrug. Nodding, Obito deposited the rings into his pocket, turning back to face Itachi.

“Well, then, let’s go.”

—

They went to Minato first, to ask him about the whereabouts of his old genin sensei.

“Jiraiya, huh?” Minato tapped at his chin in thought. Behind him, Kushina was flitting about the kitchen, making quite the racket.

“I’m sorry, but I honestly don’t know where you’d find him,” Minato apologized with a shrug. “He likes to frequent the bath houses, but I don’t think he’d be there this early in the day.”

“It’s alright, Minato-sensei,” Obito said, biting back his disappointment. 

“Why are you looking for him, anyways?” Minato asked, whirling around when a particularly loud  _ crash  _ came from the kitchen. “Kushina! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine!” Kushina called back. Shaking his head fondly, Minato turned back to face Obito and Itachi.

“Well, we were looking for Orochimaru.” Obito offered. Minato’s eyebrows rose.

“Orochimaru?”

“We have to… ask him something,” Obito said, voice stilted. It was an obvious lie, but Minato didn’t call him out on it, merely raising his eyebrows further.

“Then I guess Jiraiya is your best bet,” Minato admitted. “Sorry I couldn’t be of more help to you guys. I hope your search for him turns out well.”

“Thank you, Minato-sensei!”

—

Following Minato’s advice, Obito and Itachi waited until later in the day to visit the various bath houses around Konoha in an attempt to locate Jiraiya.

“Why is this guy so hard to find?” Obito complained as he and Itachi left yet another bath house. “There’s only so many bath houses in Konoha!”

“Maybe it’s still too early,” Itachi offered with a shrug. Obito shot him a look.

“I’m not gonna wait until the evening to find the old pervert.”

“I was just saying,” Itachi muttered, crossing his arms. Obito sighed.

“C’mon, there’s only a couple bath houses left to check. He’s  _ got  _ to be in one of them.”

Sure enough, the two boys found Jiraiya at the next bath house they checked. They were not at all surprised to find him in the women’s part of the bath house; his reputation as a pervert really did precede him.

“Jiraiya-san?”

Jiraiya startled, whirling around to face the two Uchiha. His mouth snapped shut when he saw them, no doubt having expected someone to call him out on his peeping.

“H-hello, boys!” Jiraiya greeted with false cheer, closing the door to the women’s bath house like he hadn’t just been looking in. “What can I help you with?”

“Do you know where we can find Orochimaru-san?” Obito asked. Jiraiya deflated slightly at the mention of his teammate; he’d probably been expecting the boys to be there for him.

“Orochimaru, huh?” Jiraiya made a show of thinking. “He’d probably be at his house. Guy doesn’t get out enough, if you ask me.”

“Do you know where he lives?” Obito asked hopefully. To his relief, Jiraiya nodded.

“I can take you there, if you want. What do you need from him, anyways?”

“We just wanna ask him a couple questions,” Obito said with a shrug. Jiraiya nodded, like it was a common occurrence for people to come to him to ask to talk with Orochimaru.

“Follow me, then, boys!”

—

Orochimaru, it turned out, lived on the outskirts of Konoha. Jiraiya made idle chatter the entire journey, heedless of the fact neither Obito or Itachi really bothered to respond.

“Well, here we are!” Jiraiya gestured toward the house in front of them dramatically. “I’ll leave you boys to it. I have some, ah, important business to attend to.”

“Like peeking into the women’s bath house?” Obito didn’t say. Instead, he said, “thank you, Jiraiya-san.”

“Just Jiraiya is fine,” Jiraiya said. “The ‘san’ makes me feel old.”

Once Jiraiya had left, Obito took the lead in knocking on the door, Itachi stood stoically beside him.

“You nervous?” He asked Itachi. Itachi shrugged.

“I just hope he doesn’t try to steal my body again.”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t,” Obito assured Itachi. Itachi just raised an eyebrow.

“Are you implying you could take on a Sannin?”

“I’m just saying with the two of us, he’d have a hard time trying to—”

Obito cut off when the door in front of them opened, revealing the pale face of Orochimaru.

“Yes?” The man asked, eyes narrowing. “Can I help you?”

“You can, actually,” Obito said, digging in his pocket for the ring he’d brought along. He held it out to Orochimaru, who merely raised a thin eyebrow. “I’ll explain after you put it on.”

“Pushy, aren’t we?” Orochimaru said with dry amusement. “And why should I put in the ring?”

“You’ll see,” Obito offered cryptically. Orochimaru huffed a laugh, pale hand reaching out to take the ring from Obito’s open palm.

“It goes on your left pinky,” Itachi said as Orochimaru studied the ring. Orochimaru just hummed, slipping it onto his pinky finger as instructed.

Orochimaru opened his mouth, only to snap it shut when a look of pain flashed across his face.

“ _ Dammit _ ,” his hissed, holding his head in his hands. “What did you brats do to me?!”

“N-nothing!” Obito squeaked, holding up his hands. He looked to Itachi, desperately. “Did it hurt your head when you put on your ring too, Itachi?”

Itachi nodded. “It did. That’s why I fainted.”

Orochimaru continued to hiss in pain, spitting out the occasional curse. Eventually, his hands lowered from his head, and he looked at the boys with a strange look in his snake-like eyes.

“Itachi?” He asked, brow furrowing when he looked at Obito. “And who are you? Your chakra signature is oddly familiar…”

“I’m Obito,” Obito said. “I wasn’t in the Akatsuki when you were, but you might have known me as Madara.”

“Pein-san might have mentioned you,” Orochimaru said, tapping his cheek. He looked down at the boys, raising an eyebrow. “Is there any other reason that you’re here, or was it just to give me the ring?”

“The ring was part of it,” Obito said, “but we actually wanted to ask a favor of you.”

“Oh?” Orochimaru raised his eyebrows at this. “And what’s in it for me?”

“Are your memories not enough?” Itachi asked, strangely hostile. Orochimaru chuckled, shaking his head.

“I suppose they are. What do you need of me, Obito and Itachi Uchiha?”

Obito pulled out the two remaining rings from his pocket. “You raised Nagato and Konan alongside the other Sannin, correct?”

“‘Raised’ is one word for it,” Orochimaru said, mouth curling in amusement. “I’m assuming you want me to give these rings to them?”

“Correct,” Obito said with a nod, depositing the rings into Orochimaru’s waiting palm.

“How do we know you’ll actually do it?” Itachi asked, glaring up at the Sannin. Orochimaru’s smile only widened.

“I may be a snake,” he said, tongue flickering from between his lips, “but I never go back on my word.”

—

“That went better than expected,” Obito said as they left Orochimaru’s house. Itachi just shrugged, arms crossed.

“I still don’t trust him,” Itachi said, “what if he just takes the rings and leaves? Then what? We would’ve just given him the rings for nothing.”

“He’s our best bet at getting to Nagato and Konan, Itachi,” Obito said, placing a hand on Itachi’s shoulder. “I know you don’t trust him, but he’s our only option right now.”

“I guess,” Itachi grumbled, shrugging off Obito’s hand. “If he just runs off with the rings, though, don’t say I didn’t tell you so.”

—

Obito returned home after dropping Itachi off at his own house. With a brief greeting to his grandmother, Obito was quick to return to his room, throwing himself onto the bed with a groan.

Itachi’s insistence that they couldn’t trust Orochimaru had begun to plant the seeds of doubt in Obito’s mind. What if the Sannin really did just run off with the rings, never to be seen again? That would completely negate any chance Obito had at getting Nagato and Konan involved in his plan, and he considered them to be the most essential to its success. Without them, the Akatsuki would be incomplete.

But it was too late to go back now, to demand Orochimaru return the rings. Like Obito had told Itachi, the man really  _ was  _ the best chance at getting to Nagato and Konan.

Sighing, Obito turned onto his side, facing his dresser where the remaining rings sat in the bottommost drawer. Soon, he would be going on a mission to Kiri with his team, and he could hopefully bring Kisame into the fray.

Hopefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for another shorter chapter! the chapters get longer after this, i swear
> 
> special thanks to a commenter on the earlier chapters who suggested i get orochimaru involved some way! if i’m being honest, i had forgotten he was even in the akatsuki originally hah
> 
> anyways, i hope you enjoy this chapter despite its shorter length!


	8. falling into place

Today was the day of Team Minato’s mission to Kiri. Despite Madara being dead, his influence had yet to wane over Kiri, meaning they were still somewhat involved in the war, hence the mission.

It was a simple intel-gathering mission, one that had originally resulted in Rin’s death. Now, though, without Madara’s direction, Obito was almost certain that Kiri wouldn’t think to seal the Three-Tails into Rin as a means of attacking Konoha.

_ Almost _ certain.

Obito felt himself growing antsy as they neared the main island of Kiri. He was so close to getting to Kisame, and yet—

And yet.

Rin seemed to pick up on his anxious energy, placing a comforting hand on Obito’s tense shoulder.

“It’s alright, Obito,” she said with a smile, “it won’t be that long of a mission. Just a couple days to gather intel on Kiri, and then we’ll head back home.”

“I know,” Obito said, offering a strained smile of his own. It was times like these he wished he had someone to talk to about his… Predicament. Sure, he had Itachi, but despite his mental age, he was still but a boy, and of admittedly little help to Obito outside of the things he could do in Konoha. Which was very little.

Sometimes, Obito hated the fact that the Akatsuki were so wide-spread across the Five Elemental Nations. It would be much easier to find them if they were, say, all in one place.

But that was wishful thinking at best, and Obito had already come this far. There was no turning back now; he’d given Itachi his memories, and gotten Orochimaru involved, which in turn hopefully meant that Nagato and Konan would soon be a part of it. And he was now  _ this close  _ to getting Kisame involved, as well.

He’d come a long way from when he was first sent back, and was that much closer to completing Madara’s request.

Team Minato finally docked at mainland Kiri. Obito was the first off the boat they’d been traveling on, helping Minato to tie it down.

“Well, here we are!” Minato said. It was foggy, a light drizzle falling from the grey clouds above. It was dreary weather, and the complete opposite to what Obito had grown used to in Konoha. It did little to improve his mood, and Kakashi seemed to agree, glaring up at the sky like he could intimidate it into ceasing its raining.

“We’ll set up camp around here,” Minato said, gesturing to the forest bordering the shoreline. “That way we’re hidden.” The fact that Konoha-nin like themselves would have an advantage in the trees went unspoken.

Obito helped his team set up camp within the forest, which— while not sparse— was far less dense than the forests he was used to in Konoha.

He just hoped it would keep them hidden enough from prying eyes.

Obito waited until his team was settled to sneak off, but not before he caught the eye of Kakashi. He shot the boy a quick, reassuring smile, turning away before he could see the confused frown Kakashi gave him in turn.

—

It took some wandering around Kiri to finally find Kisame.

While not as large as Konoha, Kiri was still a relatively big village, less spread-out, making it seem almost claustrophobic in how dense it was. There was very little space between buildings, all of which were aged beyond their years from the near-constant rain. Some seemed like they may fall apart where they stood, but Obito trusted that the Kiri-nin had taken the weather into account when building them; they’d remain standing.

Obito found Kisame in what had to be the poorer part of Kiri, in a small training field surrounded by buildings that were considerably more dilapidated than the others. With him was a white-haired boy Obito didn’t recognize, but who held a striking resemblance to Suigetsu Hōzuki of Sasuke’s team Taka.

Kisame looked different than Obito remembered, though that was to be expected, considering how much younger he was; he had to be, what, fourteen or fifteen? Not that much older than Obito himself.

Kisame was tall, much taller than Obito, but not yet grown to his full height. While he was muscular, he still held on to some of the lankiness of teenagehood, making him appear much thinner than he would be as an adult. His hair was the same as it had been, but shorter, held up by a hitai-ate that didn’t yet cover his ears.

Obito couldn’t help but to smile when he saw him; there was the man he’d arguably trusted the most out of all the Akatsuki, still little more than a boy, but the same man nonetheless.

Obito waited until the white-haired boy had left to approach Kisame, the smile still present on his face as he walked over.

“Kisame.”

Kisame turned to face Obito, brow furrowed in confusion. He looked Obito up-and-down, eyes lingering on his hitai-ate before settling on his face.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Obito,” Obito said, coming to a stop several feet away from Kisame. “Obito Uchiha.”

“Uchiha, huh?” Kisame glanced upwards in thought. “From Konoha, right?”

“That’s correct,” Obito said with a smile. Kisame raised an eyebrow at him, crossing his arms.

“What are you doing all the way in Kiri, Obito Uchiha?”

“Just Obito is fine,” Obito said. “I’m here on a mission with my team.”

“I don’t see anyone else with you,” Kisame said, narrowing his eyes. Obito just shrugged.

“I snuck off. I was looking for you, actually.”

“Looking for me?” Kisame’s eyes narrowed further. “How do you know me, exactly?”

“Long story,” Obito brushed him off, hand dipping into his pocket. Kisame tensed, hand flying to the hilt of the sword on his back.

“Easy, now!” Obito said with a shaky laugh. “I’m not getting a weapon or anything. I just wanted to give you this,” he pulled out the ring reading  _ nan _ from his pocket, holding it out to Kisame. Kisame’s hand lowered from his sword, but didn’t reach out to take the ring.

“A ring?” Kisame tilted his head. “Isn’t it a bit early for that, Obito? We’ve only just met, after all.”

That startled a laugh out of Obito, which in turn caused Kisame to smile, if only slightly.

“That’s not— here, just put it on,” Obito thrust his hand out to Kisame, who hesitantly took the ring from his outstretched palm. “I’ll explain everything once you’ve put it on.”

“…Alright,” Kisame acquiesced, turning the ring over between his fingers. He looked back up at Obito, eyebrow raised. “You sure it isn’t gonna kill me or something?”

“Positive,” Obito assured him. With a shrug, Kisame slipped the ring onto his left ring finger, studying it on his hand.

“Huh. You know, it doesn’t look all that bad—” Kisame cut off with a shout of pain, hand shooting up to his forehead. Obito startled, quickly closing the distance between himself and Kisame to rush to the other boy’s side.

“Kisame? Are you okay?”

“My head…” Kisame groaned, cradling his head in his hands. “God, it fucking  _ hurts _ .”

“It’ll be over soon,” Obito said, allowing Kisame to lean against him. The taller boy was all but curled in on himself, pressing his fingers into his temples in an attempt to alleviate the pain.

After several moments, Kisame’s hands finally fell back to his sides. He shook his head as if to clear it, eyes opening and landing on Obito. Obito offered a smile.

“Hey, Kisame.”

“O-Obito-san?” Kisame blinked, taken aback. “What… what are you doing here?”

“I came to look for you,” Obito said, placing his hand on Kisame’s shoulder. Kisame allowed it, still gawking at Obito in disbelief.

“I don’t understand,” Kisame muttered, “how am I— I thought I—”

“The ring brought back your memories,” Obito explained, gesturing toward the ring on Kisame’s finger. Kisame lifted his hand to look at it, eyes widening.

“No shit,” he laughed, something like awe coloring his tone. “And how on earth did you manage that?”

“Madara gave them to me in purgatory,” Obito explained, “the Akatsuki rings. He said they held the memories of each corresponding member. So now that you have your ring, you remember your past life.”

“Madara? Purgatory?” Kisame shook his head. “This is all so unbelievable. You better not be bullshitting me, Obito.”

“I’m not!” Obito was quick to say. “I would never lie to you, Kisame.”

“You say that now, Kisame grumbled, then shook his head again. “This is… a lot to process. If you’re telling the truth, that is. And I believe you are!” He remedied when Obito opened his mouth to retort. “It’s just… wow. My past life, huh?”

“Yeah,” Obito smiled sympathetically. “You handled it much better than Itachi did. He actually fainted once he put his ring on.”

“Itachi?” Kisame perked up at the mention of his partner, looking around as if the boy would be there. “He’s— he’s okay, right?”

“He is,” Obito assured Kisame, patting his shoulder, “he’s only about four now, so he’s back in Konoha.”

“I always forget how much older I am than him,” Kisame said sheepishly. “He was so mature for his age, it was easy to forget he was just a kid.”

“Would you… like to see him again?” Obito asked, hopefully. To his surprise, Kisame shook his head, though it looked like it pained him to do so.

“As much as I would love to, I still have some things to take care of here in Kiri,” Kisame explained. “I’m still genin, for one. Then there’s the matter of Fuguki and Samehada.” Kisame pursed his lips. “And Mangetsu’s baby brother Suigetsu is gonna be born soon, too, and I can’t just leave them here alone.”

“Mangetsu? Was that the boy with you earlier?” Obito asked. Kisame nodded.

“Yes. He’s… not that much younger than you, actually, though he’s already training to be a Swordsman.” Kisame’s face scrunched up at this. “He dies pretty young, but I’m hoping to change that.”

“The Chūnin Exams are going to be held here soon, right?” Obito asked, changing the subject to something less… sensitive. Kisame shook his head as if to clear it, and nodded.

“Yeah, I plan on participating in them. Maybe after I become chūnin, I can take a mission to Konoha or something.”

“I can always bring Itachi to view your Chūnin Exams,” Obito offered with a shrug, “I’m sure his father wouldn’t be too opposed to him coming to experience the Exams outside Konoha.”

“That would… that would be great,” Kisame said, clearing his throat. “Thank you, Obito-san.”

“Of course.”

—

Obito left Kisame to his own devices after some conversation. Kisame was surprisingly receptive to Obito’s plan, though explained he’d have to stay in Kiri for a while. He promised he’d be there if Obito needed him, however, and to just send a raven his way. Obito thanked him profusely for his cooperation, having expected things to go a lot less smoothly considering his… past actions. Kisame had brushed him off with a sharp-toothed smile, and said that he trusted Obito.

These words still rang clear in Obito’s head as he made his way back to his team, which was probably why he didn’t see Kakashi until the other boy had planted his feet right in front of him, arms crossed.

“Obito.”

“K-Kakashi!” Obito yelped. “What are you doing here?”

“I followed you,” Kakashi said with a shrug. He narrowed his eyes at Obito. “Who was that you were talking to?”

“An… old friend,” Obito lied. Kakashi’s eyes narrowed further.

“Bullshit,” he spat. “Don’t lie to me, Obito. He didn’t seem to recognize you until you gave him that ring, and then you were all buddy-buddy. What the hell did you do to him?”

Obito sighed, mentally cursing himself. Of  _ course  _ Kakashi had followed him; why wouldn’t he? He’d seen Obito sneaking off, after all.

“It’s… hard to explain,” Obito said. “You wouldn’t believe me, anyways.”

“Try me.”

Obito sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose. Did he really tell Kakashi the truth? He hadn’t wanted to get his teammates involved in all these time-travel shenanigans, but he’d been effectively cornered.

“Fine, I’ll tell you.” Obito said, pointing a finger at Kakashi. “Everything I’m about to tell you is the truth. It may sound crazy, but I swear on my life it’s all true.”

Kakashi settled back to listen, and Obito began to explain.

—

Kakashi stood speechless as Obito finished his tale; from his encounter with Madara in purgatory, to the rings and their significance, to his history with the Akatsuki, and everything he’d fought to change. He told Kakashi about Itachi, about Kisame, about Orochimaru and the Ame-nin. He told Kakashi  _ everything _ , because he figured; what did he have to lose? Kakashi’s faith in him? He’d lived without that before.

“…Wow,” Kakashi said once Obito had finished, shaking slightly and out of breath. The rain had ceased sometime during his tale, and the sun had begun poking out from between the dark clouds.

“It’s a lot to take in,” Obito admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “And I understand if you don’t believe me, but I swear it’s true. All of it.”

“…I believe you,” Kakashi said quietly, startling Obito. “As hard as it is to believe, I know you’re telling the truth. You couldn’t just… make something like this up, I guess. And what you said… it all lines up to what’s already happened.

“Did you really give me your eye, before?” Kakashi asked. Obito almost laughed at that.

“ _ That’s  _ the part you’re choosing to dwell on?” Obito teased. Kakashi’s shoulders rose defensively.

“I’m just saying—”

“I’m joking, Kakashi,” Obito assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Kakashi’s eyes flickered to it briefly before landing on Obito’s face.

“I’m going to help you.”

Obito startled at Kakashi’s sudden declaration, drawing his hand back from his shoulder.

“ _ What?! _ ”

“I said I’m going to help you,” Kakashi said, crossing his arms. “You may have your friends from the Akatsuki, but the only one helping you in Konoha is Itachi, and he’s still just a kid. So, I’m going to help you.”

“I don’t— I don’t know how you could help me,” Obito said quietly. “You weren’t— you weren’t part of the Akatsuki—”

“You told me pretty much everything I need to know,” Kakashi said with a shrug. “So, I can help you.”

“I didn’t… I didn’t want you guys to get involved,” Obito admitted. “The team. You weren’t part of it the first time, so I guess I just figured—”

“You aren’t alone in this, Obito,” Kakashi said, taking a step forward. “Sure, you have your old allies, but you can have new ones, too. You don’t have to shoulder this by yourself.”

Obito could have cried. Instead, he pulled Kakashi into a hug, startling the other boy.

“Thank you, Kakashi.”

“Yeah, sure. Don’t mention it.” Kakashi wriggled out of his grasp, the visible skin of his face flushed red. “Let’s get back to Minato and Rin before they come looking for us, yeah?”

Obito nodded, smiling. “Okay.”

—

The rest of the mission to Kiri went about as smoothly as Obito had hoped it would.

Team Minato had remained in Kiri for several days, gathering what little intel they could about Kiri’s war tactics. It seemed Madara’s influence had already begun to wane; Kiri seemed mostly uninterested in involving themselves in the war, for the most part, though still expressed their support for Iwa’s side of the conflict.

In the end, Team Minato had been chased off by the appearance of Kiri’s Anbu, narrowly avoiding a battle that surely wouldn’t have gone in the Konoha-nin’s favor.

Team Minato returned home to Konoha not long after, but not before Obito and Kakashi had sought out Kisame one last time.

“We’re going home,” Obito had told Kisame. “I’m sorry I couldn’t have stayed longer.”

“No worries,” Kisame had assured him, flashing a sharp-toothed smile that had sent Kakashi on edge. “I’ll be seeing you soon at the Chūnin Exams, anyways.”

Obito had elected to tell Kisame about Kakashi’s recent involvement after some debate with Kakashi himself, which Kisame was surprisingly receptive to.

“The more people we have on our side, the better,” the young Kiri-nin had said. “Remember; if you ever need my help, just send a raven my way. I’ll figure out a way to get to you.”

“Likewise,” Obito had said. To his surprise, Kisame had pulled him into a one-armed embrace, bidding him and Kakashi farewell with a friendly smile.

“He looks scary, but he’s actually a pretty nice guy,” Obito said to Kakashi, who merely hummed in agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kisame!!! also kakashi
> 
> hope you enjoy this chapter <3


	9. old wounds

It had been several days since Obito’s return from Kiri when there was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it!” Obito called, scrambling out of his room and to the door. His grandmother hummed in affirmation, turning her attention back to the dishes in front of her.

Obito opened the door, eyes widening when he saw who was on the other side.

“Orochimaru? What are you doing here?”

Orochimaru smiled that wide, unnerving smile of his, gazing down at Obito.

“I’ve completed your request,” Orochimaru purred, shifting out of the doorway to reveal the figures standing behind him. Obito felt his heart stop.

“Nagato? Konan?”

“And Yahiko,” Orochimaru offered, gesturing to the orange-haired boy who stood between the two afforementioned Ame-nin. “He doesn’t remember anything, but insisted he come along.”

“Nagato and Konan explained the situation to me,” Yahiko spoke up. He was frowning at Obito, arms crossed. “So is it true? Everything that they said?”

“Y-yes,” Obito nodded, swallowing nervously. Yahiko looked back at his companions, who nodded.

With that, Yahiko shot forward, punching Obito in the face.

Obito stumbled back into his house, falling on his backside. He brought his hands up to his nose, which thankfully wasn’t broken or bleeding.

“That’s for Nagato and Konan,” Yahiko spat, fists clenched and shoulders shaking, “and for everything you put the Akatsuki through.”

Obito could only stare up at Yahiko dumbly, eyes wide. Konan put her hand on Yahiko’s shoulder, pulling him back.

Orochimaru watched the exchange with amusement, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed nonchalantly.

“I… I suppose I deserved that,” Obito said, pulling himself back up to his feet. He rubbed at the bridge of his nose with a grimace.

“You think?” Yahiko glared at him, lip curled. He moved forward as to hit Obito again, but was stopped by Nagato.

“That’s enough, Yahiko,” Nagato said, stepping forward. He regarded Obito with a flat, emotionless gaze. Obito swallowed again, averting his eyes.

“You have some nerve, Obito, coming to us for help,” Nagato continued. “What makes you think we’d be willing to trust you again, much less help you?”

“I don’t— I don’t know,” Obito admitted quietly. “I just thought… Once you heard what I planned to do with the Akatsuki, you’d want to help.”

“And what do you plan to do with the Akatsuki?” Nagato asked, raising an eyebrow. Obito shrunk back beneath his gaze.

“I— I want us to be the good guys,” Obito explained, “like you’d originally planned. Pacifists, who’d bring peace and stop unnecessary violence. That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it? Before…”

“Before Yahiko died, and you changed our minds?” Nagato finished coldly. Sheepishly, Obito nodded.

“I know it sounds naive, but I thought—”

“I believe your heart’s in the right place, Obito,” Konan was the one to speak up this time, her voice gentle despite the hardness in her eyes. “And I believe you want to atone for your past sins. But we can’t help you, not after everything you did.”

“I understand that you don’t trust me,” Obito said, voice pitching in desperation, “and that you might not ever be able to. But I’m asking you, just this once—”

“I’m sorry, Obito,” Nagato said, cutting him off. Obito felt his heart drop. “But we can’t help you.”

“ _ Please _ ,” Obito all but pleaded, desperate tears beginning to prickle in his eyes. Nagato just shook his head, turning away.

“Please do not bother contacting us again”, Nagato said over his shoulder, “our answer will remain the same.”

With that, the three Ame-nin left, leaving Obito standing in his doorway, staring after them helplessly.

“That could have gone better,” Orochimaru spoke up with a shrug. Obito turned to look at him, and the Sannin flashed him a sympathetic smile.

“You know where to find me if you need me,” was all Orochimaru said before he too turned to leave, and Obito was once again alone.

—

It was later in the evening when there was another knock at the door.

“You’re quite popular today, Obito,” Obito’s grandmother commented. Obito merely hummed in agreement as he went to open the door, eyes widening in shock when he saw who it was.

“Yahiko?”

“Hey, Obito,” Yahiko said. The orange-haired boy looked sheepish as he stood alone in the doorway. It was the lack of Nagato and Konan that really surprised Obito; the three pretty much went everywhere together.

“Can I… Can I help you?” Obito asked. Yahiko shook his head.

“I just wanted to talk to you, actually.” Yahiko said with a shrug. He toed at the ground, eyes averted.

“Talk to me?” Obito asked incredulously. His nose still throbbed slightly from when Yahiko had punched him earlier that day. “About what?”

Yahiko rubbed at the back of his neck. “I just… I wanted to apologize for earlier, first off. It was uncalled for, attacking you like that.”

“Like you said, I deserved it,” Obito said, shrugging. Yahiko winced slightly at his cold tone.

“Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot,” Yahiko continued, “but I actually do agree with your cause. I just wanted to express my support for what you’re trying to do; reforming the Akatsuki, that is.”

Obito blinked, taken aback. “Really? But Nagato and Konan said—”

“I don’t care what they said,” Yahiko cut him off. “I think they’re still just bitter about what you did, uh,  _ before _ . I can try and convince them to support your cause, if you want. I know they’ll listen to me.”

“That… that would be appreciated,” Obito said, stilted. Yahiko shot him a smile.

“Great! I’ll try talking to them when I get back. Thanks for listening, Obito, despite everything.”

“Of course,” Obito said, offering a slightly-strained smile in turn. He gave a little wave as Yahiko turned to walk off, closing the door with a frown on his face.

Of all people, he certainly hadn’t expected Yahiko to be willing to help him.

—

The next morning found Obito answering the door again. His grandmother was right; he really  _ was  _ popular.

Obito opened the door tiredly, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He blinked, taken aback at who he saw.

“Nagato?”

“Hello, Obito.” Nagato stood in front of Obito with his arms crossed, visible eye narrowed. Obito stared right back up at him, unsure what to say.

“Can I, uh, help you?” Obito asked stiltedly. Nagato gave a single nod of his head, long hair moving with the motion.

“I just came to apologize for yesterday,” he said in that flat voice of his, “Yahiko talked to me and told me what you two had discussed. I would like to remedy what I said yesterday; we  _ can  _ help you, Obito.”

Obito felt his heart flutter hopefully, a smile working its way onto his face.

“R-really?”

Nagato nodded once more. “Yes. I have discussed this at length with Konan; we have agreed that, despite the past, we should be willing to help you. We agree with your cause, and want to see it come to fruition.”

Obito could’ve cried he was so relieved. After yesterday, he had all but given up hope on going through with his plan to reform the Akatsuki; doing so would be next to impossible without the help and support of Nagato and Konan— and Yahiko— who were the original founders of the organization.

“Thank you!” Obito said, bowing deeply. Nagato took a step back in surprise.

“Don’t mention it,” Nagato said, voice colored with something akin to embarrassment. Shaking his head, Nagato continued. “The three of us will be returning to Ame soon. If you need anything in the meantime, ask Orochimaru. He’ll know where to find us.”

Without waiting for a response, Nagato turned and left, leaving Obito absolutely beaming in the doorway.

—

Obito found himself at Orochimaru’s doorstep later that day, bouncing on his toes. The Sannin was taking his sweet time answering the door, chakra signature growing steadily closer as he moved from further within the house, in absolutely no rush to greet who he already knew would be on the other side.

“Obito,” Orochimaru said as he finally opened the door, “I’d say this is a pleasant surprise, but I already knew you’d be coming. You wish to speak to Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko, yes?”

Obito nodded, rocking back on his heels. “Yes; Nagato told me to come to you.”

“He said I should be expecting you,” Orochimaru said, clearly amused. “Follow me; I’ll take you to them.”

Obito stepped out of the way as Orochimaru stepped out of his house, closing and locking the door behind him. Obito was all but vibrating in anticipation as Orochimaru led him to the Ame-nin; he had a lot he wanted to discuss.

“A bit antsy, are we?” Orochimaru teased, glancing back at Obito from over his shoulder. “We’ll be there soon, no need to be impatient.”

Orochimaru led him to one of the many inns situated in Konoha. This one was small, only a single story, and seemed to have seen better days. Obito supposed the leaders of the Akatsuki wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible; picking such a run-down and out-of-the-way inn would be a good way to do so.

“They’re in the last room on the left,” Orochimaru supplied helpfully as he and Obito arrived at the entrance of the inn. Obito flashed the Sannin a thankful smile and pushed the door open, the bell above tingling to signal his arrival.

“Can I help you?” The innkeeper— an older civilian man— asked as Obito entered. Obito shook his head.

“I’m, uh, just here to visit some people,” he said. The innkeeper nodded, turning his attention back to the papers on the desk in front of him.

“Very well.”

Obito flashed the man a quick smile before turning down the hall on the right. He walked past the numerous rooms lining the hallway, finally coming to the last room on the left, just as Orochimaru had said.

Suddenly hesitant, Obito paused before he knocked. He knew Nagato and Yahiko had cleared some things up, but he still doubted if he would be entirely welcomed.

The door suddenly opened in front of Obito, startling him.

“Are you gonna knock, or just stand out there all day?” Yahiko asked, a teasing smile on his face as he looked down at Obito. Obito floundered for a moment.

“I was just about to!” Obito protested. “Knock, that is.”

Yahiko raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more, instead moving aside and gesturing Obito to step into the room.

Like the rest of the inn, the room was small, and had obviously seen better days. There were two small beds lined up against the wall, with an old couch on the wall opposite. The single window to the room had its sheer curtains drawn shut, presumably to keep out any prying eyes.

Obito wondered off-handedly if two of the Ame-nin were sharing one of the beds, or if one of them was sleeping on the couch. It was none of his business, regardless.

Nagato and Konan stood in the center of the room, and turned in tandem to look at Obito as he entered alongside Yahiko.

“I told you he’d be coming,” Yahiko said, brushing past Obito to stand beside his companions. All three looked at Obito expectantly; the sudden attention caused him to falter, stopping several feet away from the Ame-nin.

“What is it you would like to discuss, Obito?” Nagato asked, arms crossed. Obito cleared his throat, gathering his nerves as he began to talk.

“I wanted to talk about— about the members, of the Akatsuki.”

Nagato nodded. “Orochimaru told us you had already given Itachi his ring. Tell me, Obito, how did you come into possession of these rings in the first place?”

“This is gonna sound crazy—”

“You gave us back the memories of our past lives,” Konan said. “Whatever you say will be entirely believable.”

Obito nodded slowly, still unsure. “Well, um, Madara gave me the rings in— in purgatory, after I died during the Fourth Shinobi World War.”

“Madara?” Nagato’s visible eye flashed at the mention of the now-dead man. “Why did he give you the rings?”

“He wanted me to right the wrongs of the past,” Obito explained, “he gave me the rings so I wouldn’t be, well, alone in doing so. Which is why I gave them to you; so we could reform the Akatsuki, and change things for the better.”

Nagato nodded. “That makes sense. You said you wanted to discuss the members of the Akatsuki? Are Itachi and Orochimaru the only other ones who have been given their rings?”

Obito shook his head. “I just recently gave Kisame his ring when my team and I were on a mission to Kiri. I uh, haven’t found a way to get to the others members.”

“I see,” Nagato hummed, raising his hand to his chin in thought. “Which other members were you thinking of involving?”

“Well, Deidara and Hidan are still kids, so I think they’re pretty much out of the picture,” Obito said, “and Sasori is already a puppet, so I don’t know if the ring would even work on him.” Nagato and Konan nodded at this, while Yahiko just looked lost.

“Kakuzu… I’m not sure if he’d want to help, if I could even find him,” Obito continued. “And Zetsu— well, I got rid of all the Zetsu a while back, when I killed Madara.”

“Good,” Nagato said with a sharp nod. “At least we can rest easy knowing those two problems are out of the way. You mentioned Kakuzu might not be willing to help? I’d have to agree with that. But we can never be sure unless we give him his ring and talk to him about it.”

“You guys might have a better time finding him than I will,” Obito admitted with a shrug. “I’m only chūnin, so I can’t exactly just go around looking for him on my own.”

“That’s true,” Nagato agreed with a nod. “Would you be willing to give us his ring, so we can give it to him should we find him?”

“Sure,” Obito said. “I’ll bring it to you before you leave for Ame, which is…?”

“Two days from now,” Yahiko offered. “I have no idea who these people you guys are talking about are, but I think the more people we have on our side, the better.”

“That reminds me!” Obito said, snapping his fingers. The three Ame-nin startled slightly at the sound. “My teammate— Kakashi— said he was willing to help us. He wasn’t part of the Akatsuki the first time around, but I pretty much explained the gist of the situation to him, so he’d be able to help us.”

“Like Yahiko said, the more people on our side, the better,” Konan said. “I’d like to meet this Kakashi, should he be willing.”

“I’ll ask him,” Obito said, offering a small smile. “I’ll bring him along with me before you guys leave, and also to give you Kakuzu’s ring.”

“Thank you, Obito,” Konan dipped her head. “We greatly appreciate your help.”

Obito rubbed at the back of his neck, suddenly sheepish.

“Don’t mention it.”

—

Two days had passed since Obito had met with the Ame-nin. Nagato had contacted him that morning, asking him to meet them at the gates before they left, and to bring both the ring and Kakashi.

In his pocket was Kakuzu’s ring, which read  _ hoku _ . At his side was Kakashi, who he pulled along by the arm.

“C’mon, Kakashi!” Obito urged as he tugged Kakashi along. “We gotta get there before they leave!”

“If they asked you to meet them, I doubt they’d leave before you got there,” Kakashi said, purposefully dragging his feet just to get a rise out of Obito. Obito shot him a look.

“Whatever, Kakashi. Hurry it up!”

True to Kakashi’s word, the three Ame-nin were still at the gates when they arrived. Obito came to a stop in front of them, bowing his head apologetically.

“Sorry we’re late!” Obito said. “ _ Someone _ was taking their time in getting here.” At this, he shot Kakashi another look. Kakashi just shrugged.

“Regardless, we’re glad you’re here,” Nagato said, something like amusement in his eyes. “I take it this is Kakashi? It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Likewise,” Kakashi said, mirroring the Ame-nin with a shallow bow.

“We appreciate your help,” Konan said sweetly, offering Kakashi a soft smile. Kakashi just nodded, flushing slightly under Konan’s gaze.

“It’s no problem,” he said, “I just figured that Obito would need more help than he already has back here in Konoha. Itachi's still just a kid, after all.”

“And we thank you for that,” Nagato said. “though, Orochimaru is also here in Konoha, should he be willing to help.”

“It’s just good to know Obito’s not alone,” Yahiko said, reaching over to ruffle Obito’s hair. Obito sputtered, batting Yahiko’s hands away.

“ _ Anyways _ ,” Obito said, shooting Yahiko a playful glare. “Here’s Kakuzu’s ring,” Obito handed the ring over to Nagato. Nagato took it with a nod, slipping it into his own pocket.

“Thank you,” Nagato said, “while I can’t guarantee we will find him, we will do our best to do so.”

“Of course,” Obito said, flashing a smile. “Let’s just hope he’s willing to help us.”

“True,” Nagato nodded. He then turned to his companions. “We should probably get going, now. We wouldn’t want to draw any… unwanted attention to ourselves.” Nagato’s eye flickered to the trees bordering the gate. There, amongst the branches, was a masked figure. Anbu. “Though I suppose it’s already too late for that now.”

“Yeah, you should probably get going,” Obito said. “Try not to die or anything this time, alright Yahiko?”

“I’ll do my best,” Yahiko said with a lopsided smile. “I’m sure Nagato and Konan will do everything in their power to protect me, this time around, so there’s no need to worry.”

“He’s right,” Konan said, eyes hardening. “Even if it means breaking our oath of nonviolence.”

“So intense,” Yahiko practically swooned. Obito bit back a laugh at the display.

“Well, it was good to see you guys again.” He said. “If you need anything, just send a raven my way. I’ll try my best to help you.”

“Likewise,” Nagato said. “While the situation in Ame remains unfavorable, we will do whatever we can to assist you should the need arise.”

Obito waved as the Ame-nin turned to walk away. Kakashi stood silently beside him, watching the trio disappear into the forest.

“They’re an interesting bunch to say the least,” Kakashi commented. Obito turned to look at him, offering a smile.

“We all were, in the Akatsuki.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the ame trio are finally here! they’re kinda hard to write imo, but i tried my best!
> 
> sorry for the slight delay on this chapter! admittedly, i’m kinda running out of steam for writing this story, but i’ll try my best to keep updating it regularly!
> 
> i hope you enjoyed this chapter <3


	10. reunions

Fugaku had been surprisingly receptive when they approached him to ask if Obito could take Itachi to see the Chūnin Exams in Kiri.

“I suppose it would be good for you to experience the Exams outside of the village,” Fugaku had said, addressing Itachi. He’d then turned to Obito, fixing him with that intense look of his. “I have no doubts you are a capable shinobi, Obito Uchiha. I trust that you’ll protect my son.”

“O-of course!” Itachi would later tease Obito how his voice had cracked in his fervent rush to assure Fugaku. The man had such an aura of authority that it put Obito on-edge even at the thought of him; Fugaku was  _ scary _ .

Having gotten the okay from Fugaku, Obito and Itachi discussed their plan on how to get to Kiri in the first place.

“We’ll be traveling on foot,” Obito explained to Itachi, pointing down at the map laid out between them, “which will make it just over a day’s travel. Think you can handle that?”

Itachi puffed out his cheeks indignantly, arms crossed.

“I may have the body of a kid, but I can still keep up with you,” Itachi said, “I’ve been training much harder after you gave me my memories back, after all.”

Obito was thankful that Itachi no longer seemed bitter towards him for giving him his memories back. In the beginning, Itachi had lashed out, blaming Obito for taking away his innocence. Arguably, Itachi had lost that long before Obito had come along and given him the ring. Now when he spoke about it, Itachi didn’t visibly react besides from the slight hardening to his eyes. But he seemed to have forgiven Obito, at least from what Obito could tell. He dreaded to think that Itachi secretly despised him; Itachi was startlingly good at masking his emotions. Less so now that he was a child, but still enough to make Obito worry sometimes.

—

Their journey began early in the morning, just before sunrise. The sky was painted with the pastel colors of dawn when Obito and Itachi met at the gate to the village, each with a travel pack slung over their shoulders. Itachi’s was almost comically large against his small frame, and Obito would have teased him about it had it not been for the look on Itachi’s face, the tired lines of his face more prominent in his obvious exhaustion. Deciding not to test his luck this early in the morning, Obito bit back anything he might’ve said to piss Itachi off, and smiled.

“Good morning!” Obito said, and apparently he had too much cheer in his voice, because Itachi responded with a glare.

“It’s too early,” Itachi muttered. He then yawned, covering his mouth with his hand. Obito suppressed a chuckle at the surprisingly cute sight, his smile widening.

“We need to get to the border by nightfall if we want to make it to the Exams tomorrow,” Obito offered in explanation. Itachi just glowered further. He opened his mouth to say something, no doubt some sort of retort, but was cut off by another yawn.

This time, Obito didn’t even bother to cover his laughter.

—

The majority of their journey was spent in silence. Obito had tried making small talk, but his attempts fell flat in the face of Itachi’s single-syllable answers and nonverbal responses.

“So,” Obito had tried, “are you excited to see Kisame again?”

Itachi had just shrugged.

“You know,” Obito pressed, “ _ he _ seemed pretty happy at the prospect of seeing you again.”

“That’s good, I guess,” Itachi mumbled, “but he won’t be once he realizes I’d been lying to him throughout our whole partnership.”

“I think you underestimate how much he cares about you, Itachi.”

Itachi just shrugged again, going quiet.

Obito had given up, after that. He still made the occasional comment on their surroundings as they grew closer to the border of Fire Country, but wasn’t really expecting Itachi to answer.

“Let’s stop here for the night,” Obito suggested. They had reached the shoreline of Fire Country, the numerous islands that made up Water Country visible in the distance. Itachi just nodded, slinging his travel pack from over his shoulder. Obito did the same, removing his bedroll from the pack and setting it out over the ground.

“I’ll go collect some materials for a fire,” Obito offered, looking over to Itachi. The sun had just begun to set, casting deep shadows over the younger Uchiha’s face, making him hard to see. “Will you be fine here on your own?”

“I can take care of myself,” Itachi said waspishly. Obito put his hands up, taken aback by Itachi’s hostile tone.

“Alright, I was just checking.”

As Obito wandered further into the small forest bordering the shoreline, he wondered if Itachi’s less-than-pleasant mood was brought on by his anxiety at seeing Kisame again. The boy seemed to have convinced himself that Kisame would hate him upon learning that he’d been lying to him throughout their partnership, but Obito wasn’t so sure. From what he’d observed  _ before _ , Kisame seemed to care deeply for his partner, even openly expressing his sadness at Itachi’s death. And it seemed to go both ways; when revived during the Fourth Shinobi World War, Itachi had expressed his own grievances at Kisame not being there, revived alongside him. Obito wondered how Itachi could even  _ think  _ Kisame would hate him; sure, the Kiri-nin hated liars, but he cared for Itachi more.

Shaking his head, Obito continued to gather fallen branches for the fire. His own reassurances didn’t seem to be enough for Itachi; Kisame would have to tell the boy himself for Itachi to believe he wouldn’t hate him. Obito just wondered how that conversation would come up; he doubted Itachi would bring it up out of fear of Kisame’s reaction. But it wasn’t something Obito could bring up with Kisame, either; this was something strictly between the two of them to discuss.

—

Obito and Itachi continued on their journey early the next morning. They borrowed a boat from a nearby dock, setting out across the water and toward the main island of Kiri.

“We should get there in another few hours,” Obito said. Itachi just grunted in response; he was still being quiet, more so than usual. He sat at the opposite end of the boat from Obito, curled in on himself. Obito was beginning to wonder if this whole excursion was still a good idea, but they’d already come this far; it was too late to turn around now, regardless of how Itachi was feeling.

They finally docked at mainland Kiri. Obito hopped out of the boat and tugged it closer to the shore, tying it down. Itachi jumped out soon after, having to wade through the shallow water to make it to the shore.

As was usual for Kiri, it was raining; a light drizzle that nonetheless had the two Uchiha thoroughly soaked through by the time they made it to the gate. They weren’t the only ones at the gate; a small but significant crowd of people were making their way through, no doubt also there to see the Chūnin Exams.

Obito and Itachi made it into the village with little issue; the guards at the gate had just eyed Obito’s hitai-ate before waving them through, turning their attention to the people behind them.

“That was easy,” Obito commented. “They probably just thought you were my little brother or something.”

Itachi didn’t seem to pick up on the teasing tone of this last part, instead shrugging. “I do suppose we look alike, after all.”

The two made it to the stadium where the Chūnin Exams were held with relative ease, electing to follow the flow of people walking through the village. It was much busier than it had been on Obito’s mission several weeks before, but that was to be expected.

The stadium was reminiscent of the one in Konoha, though it was indoors, with a large, bare-grounds arena surrounded by a ring of elevated railings for onlookers. Obito and Itachi made their way onto said railings, squeezing past the people already stood on them.

“It’s not as packed as it is in Konoha, but I suppose that’s to be expected,” Obito commented with a shrug. “Kiri’s kinda hard to get to, after all.”

Itachi just nodded in agreement, bracing himself against the railing and peering down into the arena below.

“Do you think Kisame is even going to be participating today?” Itachi asked. It was the most he’d spoken since the day prior, and it equally pleased and startled Obito.

“Probably,” Obito said, leaning his elbows on the railing. “I don’t see why he wouldn’t be; the preliminaries were already held, and I have no doubt that he passed them. He’s a skilled shinobi, after all.”

Itachi just nodded at this, turning his attention back to the arena. The exam proctor stood on one end, looking bored as the participants prepared elsewhere. 

The arena slowly but surely filled up with more onlookers, the press of bodies forcing Obito and Itachi closer together. The rain could be heard picking up outside, the sound of the droplets pelting the roof of the stadium just audible over the din of voices. Obito found himself feeling thankful that the arena was completely indoors as opposed to having an open roof like the one in Konoha; it would suck to have to watch the Exams while soaking wet from the rain.

The Exams were finally called to start. The first two participants were Kiri-nin Obito didn’t recognize, though the one with bandages wrapped around the bottom half of his face did seem oddly familiar.

“That guy looks kinda familiar,” Obito said to Itachi, pointing at said participant. Itachi followed his finger, brow furrowing.

“I think he’s one of the Seven Swordsmen,” Itachi said, “or, well, he will be. I don’t remember his name, but Kisame might’ve told me about him.”

Obito nodded, turning his attention back to the match as it was called to start; it seemed Kisame wasn’t the only one of the next generation of Swordsmen to be taking the Chūnin Exams.

The boy with the bandages made the first move, ruthlessly going after his opponent with his sword. Obito had to admit he was a skilled kenjutsu user already, despite his age; he couldn’t have been much older than Obito himself, but he moved with the practiced grace of someone who’d been wielding their weapon their whole life. No wonder he’d be one of the Swordsmen in the future.

The match was over quickly and anti-climatically; the bandaged boy had easily cornered his opponent, putting his blade to their throat until they gave up. Obito could see the boy visibly holding himself back from killing his opponent outright; Kiri-nin did tend to be more violent, after all, especially under Yagura’s rule. It  _ was  _ called the Bloody Mist for a reason.

The next match brought out another pair of Kiri-nin Obito didn’t recognize. Obito admittedly zoned out during this match; he was only here for Kisame, after all, and didn’t see much reason to pay attention to the matches that didn’t involve him.

—

Several matches and over an hour later finally saw Kisame stepping out onto the field. Obito perked up as soon as he caught sight of the familiar blue skin in the corner of his vision, craning his neck to watch Kisame as he entered the arena, his gilled shoulders bared and a sword strapped to his back.

“Itachi, look!” Obito said excitedly, reaching over to grab Itachi’s shoulder in order to get his attention. He shook Itachi slightly for emphasis, gesturing down to where Kisame was.

“I see him,” Itachi said, shrugging out of Obito’s grip. Despite the annoyance in his tone, Itachi’s sights were set solely on Kisame. He stared down at him, a strangely intense look in his eyes, like he couldn’t quite believe Kisame was actually there; he was staring like if he blinked, Kisame would disappear before his eyes.

Kisame looked around the arena, searching the countless spectators for two familiar faces. Obito waved wildly as to get Kisame’s attention, considering calling out but knowing his voice would be swallowed by those of the other spectators. Finally, Kisame’s eyes landed on them, and Obito broke out into a wide smile he knew Kisame would see, even from all the way down in the arena. Kisame smiled as he waved back at Obito, which only widened when his eyes fell on Itachi. Itachi blushed under Kisame’s gaze, but waved back down at him as well, which only made Kisame’s smile widen even further.

“See? He’s happy to see you,” Obito said, nudging Itachi. Itachi just lowered his head, mumbling a quiet “yeah” in response, cheeks still flushed red.

Kisame turned his attention to his opponent opposite the field of him when the match was called to start. Kisame’s hands flew through a series of signs, stopping on  _ ram _ . He lifted his fingers to his mouth and took a deep breath, releasing it alongside a great wave of water. The wave arched towards Kisame’s unprepared opponent, who had begun weaving through a counter jutsu when it crashed down on them, throwing them against the far wall. The excess water flooded and crashed against the walls of the arena, catching the onlookers in the spray. Obito let out a wordless shout of excitement, wiping the stray droplets from his goggles. Beside him, Itachi was smiling, wide and unrestrained, despite the water clinging to his face and hair. Obito had never seen him smile so openly before, and doubted Itachi even knew he was doing it.

“His water techniques are always so amazing to see,” Itachi said, fond, “but it was obvious he was just showing off for us.”

“He was showing off for  _ you _ ,” Obito teased, nudging Itachi. Itachi grew visibly flustered, color rising to his cheeks.

“Shut up,” Itachi grumbled, pointedly turning his attention back to the match below.

Kisame was now advancing on his opponent, unsheathing his sword as he splashed through the shallow layer of water that had settled over the ground of the arena. At the other end of the arena, Kisame’s opponent was struggling to regain their footing from where they’d been slammed up against the wall, nearly slipping in the water as they tried to stand back up. They fumbled for their weapon’s pouch as Kisame steadily approached, managing to withdraw a kunai just in time to block Kisame's sword, the sharp  _ clang  _ of metal against metal audible even from where Obito and Itachi stood.

Kisame struck again, and again. Each blow was punctuated by a  _ clang _ . The hits that weren’t blocked were landed with the blunt edge of Kisame’s sword, as to not seriously injure his opponent. Obito figured this was for Itachi’s sake; he hated violence, after all.

Hit after bruising hit was landed, and it was obvious Kisame’s opponent was growing tired from the relentless onslaught. They began staggering beneath the force of blows, feet unsteady in the water. Kisame wore a wide smile all the while, eyes alight with an almost predatory sort of excitement.

Kisame caught the edge of his opponent’s kunai on his sword. His smile sharpened, and with a push, the point of the kunai was at his opponent’s throat. All he’d have to do was press a forward a little further, and his opponent’s neck would be impaled on their own kunai.

Kisame leaned forward, mouth moving inaudibly as he said something to his opponent, pushing their kunai closer to their throat for emphasis. Visibly gulping, his opponent gave a shaky nod, and with that, Kisame stepped back, craning his neck to call out to the proctor.

“Call the match! They forfeit.”

The match was called, and Kisame began to make his way out of the arena, but not before stopping to apologize to the proctor for flooding it. He turned to look up at where Obito and Itachi stood on the railings, jerking his head toward the entrance.

“He wants us to meet him outside,” Obito deduced, pushing back from the railing as Kisame walked out. Itachi nodded, following Obito as he threaded his way through the throng of onlookers and towards the exit.

—

It had thankfully stopped raining when they got outside, though the sky was still its perpetual overcast grey. Obito shivered a little as they stepped out, having grown used to the warmth of packed bodies in the arena. 

Kisame stood, leaning against the wall besides the entrance of the arena. He straightened up as Obito and Itachi approached, a wide yet friendly smile spreading across his face.   
“Nice match back there,” Obito said, coming to a stop several feet in front of Kisame. Itachi came to a stop beside him and slightly behind him. Obito nearly laughed aloud; was Itachi seriously trying to  _ hide  _ behind him?

“Thanks,” Kisame said, somewhat distractedly, as his sights were set solely on Itachi, whose own eyes were downcast. Obito stepped to the side, fully revealing Itachi. Itachi shot him a betrayed look, though his attention was quickly drawn back to Kisame.

“Hello, Itachi-san,” Kisame said gently, slowly stepping closer, as if approaching a scared animal. Itachi stood stock still, eyes wide like he couldn’t believe Kisame was actually there, in front of him, interacting with him. Kisame wore a similarly stunned expression.

“Hello, Kisame,” Itachi said, nearly inaudible. Kisame’s expression softened into something Obito could only describe as affectionate, and felt something in his chest tighten. How on earth could Itachi think Kisame would hate him, when he looked at him like  _ that _ ?

“I’ve missed you,” Kisame continued, crouching down so he was at a height with Itachi. Itachi blushed slightly, and shifted his feet like he wanted to move closer but couldn’t bring himself to.

“I’ve missed you too,” Itachi all but whispered, and somehow Obito knew he wasn’t supposed to be witnessing this. To see Itachi — the cold, emotionless clan killer — so vulnerable, it felt too intimate for someone like Obito — who barely even  _ knew  _ Itachi, all things considered — to see. So Obito looked away, crossing his arms. He pretended to be engrossed in watching the ever-shifting clouds covering the sky, though continued to watch the two partners through the corner of his vision.

“Itachi?” Kisame spoke up suddenly, voice soft. Itachi blinked, cocking his head slightly.

“Yes?”

“Would it be okay…” Kisame trailed off, biting his lip as he thought through his next words. “Can I — may I hug you?”

Itachi froze, the slight blush already on his face deepening. He opened his mouth, closed it, then nodded.

Kisame smiled, and opened his arms. Itachi closed the small distance between them, stepping to Kisame’s embrace. Kisame’s arms all but engulfed Itachi’s small frame, pulling him flush against him. Itachi’s own arms came up to snake around Kisame, pressing his face into his shoulder.

“Missed you,” Kisame said again, voice barely above a whisper. He’d closed his eyes, turning his face into Itachi’s hair. Itachi just nodded again, holding onto Kisame a little bit tighter.

Obito wondered if they had been this openly affectionate with each other before, back when Kisame was nothing but a monster and Itachi was nothing but a clan killer. Or had the second chance they’d each been given allowed them to do this, without fear of repercussion?

Kisame was the first to pull back from the embrace, though kept his hands on Itachi’s shoulders. Itachi’s lips twitched up into a small smile, which caused Kisame to break out into his signature serrated grin.

Kisame pulled Itachi close one last time before standing up, turning his attention back to Obito. Obito offered a slightly-strained smile, acting like he hadn’t just seen Kisame and Itachi at their most vulnerable together.

“Sorry about that,” Kisame said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. There was a slight purple tint to his cheeks, indicating he was embarrassed.

“It’s alright!” Obito hurriedly assured him, “I know you two were close before. It’s understandable you would’ve missed each other.”

Itachi had moved to stand beside and slightly behind Kisame, mirroring how he’d been trying to hide behind Obito earlier. He had his tiny hands fisted in the fabric of Kisame’s pants, cheek pressed into his thigh. Kisame glanced down at him, smiling, and placed a hand atop Itachi’s head.

“Do you two want to finish watching the matches for today?” Kisame asked, turning his gaze back to Obito. Obito just shrugged.

“I mean, we were really only here to see your match, so…”

“We can go back to my place,” Kisame offered with a shrug. “It isn’t much, but it will save you guys from trying to find a place to stay for the night.”

“Thanks, Kisame,” Obito said with a smile. “I’d— _we’d_ really appreciate that.”

“Of course,” Kisame said, and grinned right back at Obito.

—

Kisame led them through the winding alleys of Kiri, past that training field Obito had first found him at. It was empty, today, the hardened earth sodden and slick from the rain, which had begun to pick up again sometime during their walk. Such a short reprieve, Obito had complained, and Kisame had laughed, throwing his head back and shooting a crooked smile over his shoulder.

“You should come here during monsoon season,” Kisame said with a smirk, “the rain almost never lets up.”

Obito shuddered at the thought of a constant, unrelenting rain. From beside him, Itachi turned his head to hide an amused smile.

Kisame led them into what seemed to be a residential area, down narrow streets flanked by tightly-packed buildings. They came to a building whose exterior had been turned a dreary grey from the rain. Kisame pulled the door open, its hinges whining in complaint. He stepped aside and held the door open for Obito and Itachi, who were quick to duck inside and out of the rain. Kisame stepped in after them, stepping around the two wet, disgruntled Uchiha who stood huddled together in the middle of the small lobby, dripping water onto the hardwood floor.

“Third floor,” Kisame said, gesturing toward the stairs. He smiled as he took in Obito and Itachi’s appearance, teeth catching in the dim lighting. “I have towels in my apartment. You’ll be dry soon.”

Obito just mumbled unintelligibly in response, shuffling past Itachi and toward where Kisame stood by the stairs. Itachi followed close behind, arms crossed and hands fisted tightly in the sleeves on his shirt in an attempt to preserve some heat.

Kisame made his way up the stairs, stopping to look back every so often to make sure both Obito and Itachi were still behind him. When they finally made it to the top, Kisame veered off to the right, coming to stop at a door halfway down the narrow corridor. Kisame pulled a single key on a ring from his pocket, spinning it around his finger once before catching it in his palm. He shot Obito and Itachi a nervous glance before slotting the key into the door, turning the lock.

“Just so you know, it’s uh— it’s not much.” Kisame’s smile was almost sheepish, like he was embarrassed. Obito just shook his head.

“All I care about are those towels you mentioned,” Obito half-joked, reaching up to brush a wet strand of hair from his forehead. Itachi just shivered harder, and Kisame’s trepidation melted away, his smile turning genuine. He opened the door to his apartment without much flourish, the door swinging inwards. Like he’d done at the lobby, Kisame held the door open, and gestured for Obito and Itachi to enter.

Kisame’s apartment was small, the main area not much larger than Obito’s own room. The right corner beside the single window served as a kitchen of sorts, with a fridge tucked up against the wall beside a countertop consisting of a sink and a stove. To the left of the front door was another door, presumably leading to the apartment’s equally small bathroom. The bathroom formed an outcropping that disrupted the otherwise open floor plan; tucked into the alcove it created was a bed set between a small table that served as a nightstand and a dresser. Above the bed were a pair of pegs that Obito assumed were used to display Kisame’s sword. In the open space between the bedroom and the kitchen was a table with two chairs on either side. Other than the display for the sword, the room lacked personal effects; Obito wondered if this was because Kisame didn’t  _ have  _ anything else to display in his home.

“Like I said, it’s not much,” Kisame said when he saw Obito looking around. After entering his apartment, Kisame had immediately retreated to the bathroom to grab the towels he’d promised. Kisame held two in either hand, one black and one a dark navy. He handed the black towel to Obito, offering the other to Itachi, who took it gratefully.

“I wasn’t judging,” Obito assured Kisame, and he wasn’t. Obito knew how hard it was for a shinobi to live on their own from such a young age; while Obito had his grandmother, he knew of many kids who weren’t so lucky. Kisame was obviously one of them, as— it seemed— were most of the kids in Kiri.

Obito began scrubbing roughly at his hair with the towel, pleasantly surprised at how fluffy it was. Itachi mirrored him, ruffling his dark hair dry with his towel. Kisame watched them from where he stood leaning against the outside wall of the bathroom, arms crossed and an indulgent look on his face. At first, Obito was confused as to why Kisame was looking at him in such a way, until he realized Kisame’s sights were settled very thoroughly on Itachi, who was now patting his clothes dry with the towel. The younger Uchiha seemed unaware or was unbothered that he was being watched so intensely, lips pursed in concentration.

“You look like a wet cat,” Kisame said, tone as teasing as it was warm. Itachi flushed, looking at Kisame with wide, betrayed eyes.

“I do  _ not _ ,” Itachi insisted. Obito covered his mouth to hide his smile; with his hair all clumped together and spiky, along with the way he was holding himself, Itachi really did look like a disgruntled, wet cat.

“You kinda do,” Obito said from behind his hand. Itachi shot him a glare that held little heat.

“You do too,” Itachi sniped back, cheeks puffing out as he pouted.

“Nah,” Kisame waved his hand dismissively, “Obito-san’s more of a wet dog. Smells like one, too.”

“Hey!” Obito attempted to smack Kisame with his towel, only to have the older boy snatch it from his grip and throw it back in Obito’s face.

Itachi let out a soft giggle at the display, quickly stifling it when both Kisame and Obito turned to face him, eyes wide and mouths agape.

“What?” Itachi asked defensively, holding the towel in front of him protectively. 

“Nothing,” Kisame said, shaking his head, though a smile was beginning to play on his lips. “It’s just, you rarely laugh like that, Itachi-san. It’s always a delight when you do.”

Itachi blushed fiercely, turning his head away from Kisame in an attempt to hide it. Kisame and Obito just laughed.

—

Unlike Konoha, the night sky in Kiri had no stars. Even at night, the clouds still blanketed the sky, outlined in a soft glow by the moon. Obito lay in Kisame’s bed beside Itachi. Kisame had insisted the Uchiha get the bed, assuring them he’d be comfortable enough on the floor next to the bed. 

It was dark in Kisame’s apartment, save for the soft light of the moon streaming in through the window. Despite how tired he was, Obito found it hard to fall asleep, feeling oddly restless. Beside him, Itachi kept shifting, turning over and over again. Obito blamed Itachi’s restlessness for causing his own, and silently wished the younger boy would just settle down so he could fall asleep.

Itachi finally stopped moving, coming to lay with his back facing Obito, turned toward the side of the bed that Kisame was laying next to. Letting out a silent sigh of relief, Obito closed his eyes, willing himself to drift off to sleep.

“Kisame?” Itachi’s quiet voice cut through the silence. “Are you awake?”

From his place on the floor, Kisame let out a soft grunt of affirmation.

Itachi was silent for a moment before he next spoke.

“Can I… Can I talk to you about something?”

Obito heard Kisame shift, his head popping up over the edge of the bed as he sat up. The moonlight shone oddly in his yellow eyes, making them appear almost reflective.

“Of course,” Kisame said, just as quietly as Itachi had spoken. “What is it, Itachi-san?”

Itachi also sat up, moving carefully as to not disturb Obito, probably presuming him to be asleep. It was this that caused Obito to realize that whatever Itachi was about to say, it wasn’t meant for his ears.

“I need to talk to you about… About before,” Itachi started. Kisame nodded encouragingly, urging Itachi to continue.

“When we met,” Itachi started, “you knew me as Itachi the Clan Killer. I told you I killed my family to… to measure my abilities. But that.... That wasn’t true.”

Obito felt his heart skip. Was Itachi… Was Itachi going to tell Kisame the truth?

Kisame merely nodded, the expression on his face carefully inscrutable. Itachi continued.

“When I was younger, I was in Konoha’s Anbu. My clan… We were being oppressed by the village, and my father — the clan head — wouldn’t stand for that. So he started to plan to stage a coup.

“Being in Anbu, I was made to keep an eye on my father, and to leak intel to the Hokage, and to… Danzō.” Itachi said the name with an uncharacteristic venom in his tone. Kisame just nodded again, silent, letting Itachi talk.

“My cousin Shisui… He was going to cast a genjutsu over those behind the coup, to convince them to do otherwise. To solve the situation non-violently. But then, Danzō found out, and he… Shisui died,” Itachi’s voice caught as he said this, and Obito saw a flash of blue as Kisame brought a hand up to rest comfortingly on Itachi’s knee. 

“Without a way to solve the situation peacefully, the Hokage and Danzō… They told me the best solution would be to kill them. My mother, my father… All of them.

“In my grief, I didn’t… I couldn’t say no. I didn’t have a  _ choice _ .” Itachi’s shoulders heaved as he struggled not to cry. “So I — I said I’d kill them, as long as they didn’t hurt Sasuke.”

Kisame squeezed Itachi’s knee in silent support, his expression still flat save for a slight pinch between his brows. Itachi sniffled, and continued.

“Me and you… We bonded over being comrade killers,” Itachi said, “over being monsters who were hated by our villages. We bonded over a lie, Kisame. And you… I know you hate liars, so I understand if you—”

“Itachi.” Kisame cut him off, voice oddly firm. Itachi went stiff, no doubt expecting Kisame to say the worse. He looked away, dipping his head to hide his face in his hair.

“Itachi,” Kisame said again. “Itachi, look at me.”

Slowly, Itachi turned his head back toward Kisame. As he did, Kisame offered him a soft, comforting smile.

“I could never,  _ never  _ hate you,” Kisame said, and there it was. Obito felt the tension escape his body as Kisame said this. He  _ knew  _ it! He’s told Itachi Kisame would never hate him, and he’d been right. And how glad he was that he’d been right.

“K-Kisame…” Itachi’s voice sounded on the verge of tears. Kisame just smiled again, and moved his hand from Itachi’s knee to cup his cheek.

“I’d had a hunch, before,” Kisame said, “that you hadn’t been telling the whole truth. The Itachi I’d come to know wasn’t a cold-blooded clan killer, not by a long shot.

“I know I said I hate liars, but Itachi… You lied out of necessity, out of survival. How could I hate you for that?”

“Kisame…” Itachi leaned into Kisame’s hand, his own, much smaller one coming to rest on top of it. Kisame leaned forward, and placed a kiss against Itachi’s forehead.

“You’re important to me, Itachi,” he said, “you’re the one who helped me realize I was more than just the monster I’d made myself out to be. And for that, I owe you everything.”

Itachi just nodded wordlessly, and pressed his forehead to Kisame’s, closing his eyes and letting out a shaking breath.

“Thank you,” Itachi whispered, “I’d been so worried you’d— that you’d hate me.”

“Never, Itachi-san,” Kisame reassured him. “That, I can promise you.”

Itachi swallowed thickly. “Kisame, I…” He trailed off, leaving his sentence unfinished. Kisame just smiled.

“I know,” he said. “Me too.”

— 

Obito woke to the sunlight streaming in through Kisame’s window and directly into his eyes.

With a groan, Obito sat up in the bed, rubbing at his eyes. Beside him, Itachi was still fast-asleep, one of his arms hanging off the bed. In his hand was Kisame’s, who was also awake, propped up on his elbow and staring fondly at the sleeping Itachi.

“Good morning, Obito-san,” Kisame said as Obito sat up. Obito yawned.

“G’morning,” he muttered, and yawned again.

“Did you sleep well?” Kisame asked. Obito nodded.

“Yep,” he said, popping the ‘p’. “Thanks for letting us have the bed, by the way. I’m sure it wasn’t all that comfortable on the floor.”

“It’s no problem,” Kisame said, waving his hand dismissively. “Trust me, I’ve had much worse sleeping arrangements.”

From beside Obito, Itachi began to stir. Kisame’s attention was pulled back to him, moving to sit up as Itachi’s eyes fluttered open.

“Good morning,” Kisame said sweetly, reaching to brush a strand of hair from Itachi’s face. Itachi stifled a yawn, rubbing at his eyes.

“How did you sleep, Itachi-san?” Kisame asked. Itachi offered him a groggy smile, leaning into Kisame’s hand as it came to cup his cheek.

“Good, thank you,” Itachi said, and let out a little sigh of contentment as Kisame rubbed a thumb across his cheek.

Obito almost groaned at the sickeningly sweet display; sure, he was more than happy that Itachi and Kisame could come to an understanding, but did they have to act like this? Right in front of him?

Obito cleared his throat, causing both Itachi and Kisame to look at him. He offered an awkward smile, rubbing at the back of his neck.

“So, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m pretty hungry,” Obito said. Kisame nodded in agreement, standing up. Itachi just squinted at Obito like he knew what he was playing at, and didn’t appreciate it.

“There’s a cafe not far from here.” Kisame said, “we can go there? I think they have dango.” This last part was directed at Itachi, who flushed slightly.

“Sounds good!” Obito chirped, and swung his legs out of the bed, planting his feet on the ground. Behind him, Itachi also slid out of the bed, landing on the floor with a soft little  _ thump _ . 

Kisame made for the door, holding it open for the two Uchiha, as he’d done the day prior. Obito and Itachi stepped out into the hall, waiting as Kisame locked the door behind them with a  _ click _ . He smiled, and began to lead the way down the hall and to the stairwell.

— 

It wasn’t raining this morning, but in its stead was a heavy fog that rolled across the ground, obscuring their feet. Obito followed behind Kisame and Itachi, who were walking side-by-side, Kisame having to adjust his walking speed to allow Itachi to comfortably keep up. Obito tried his best not to feel like the third wheel, but it was hard when he was mostly being ignored by the other two boys in favor of each other.

Soon enough, they came to the cafe Kisame had mentioned. It was nestled beneath a house, wind chimes hanging from the doorway. Kisame once again held the door open, ever the gentleman. The person behind the counter looked up as they entered, offering a friendly smile. Kisame returned it with a close-lipped smile of his own, no doubt not wanting to scare them off with the sight of his teeth.

“Tell me what you want and I can order,” Kisame said, addressing Obito and Itachi. “You two can find us a place to sit.”

Obito perused the menu mounted on the back wall behind the counter for a moment before settling on something that sounded good. Itachi, predictably, wanted dango.

As Kisame stepped up to order, Obito wandered further into the cafe, Itachi trailing behind him. He settled for a booth near the back by a window, sliding into the seat. Itachi took a seat beside him, scooting in as far as he could to leave room for Kisame to sit next to him.

Kisame walked up several moments later, sliding in next to Itachi with a smile.

“I like this place,” Obito commented, looking around. “It’s cozy. Reminds me of the ones in Konoha.”

Itachi nodded his agreement, shifting closer to Kisame to rest his head on his shoulder. Kisame draped an arm around Itachi’s shoulder, pulling him flush against his side.

“It’s nice,” Kisame agreed. “I only came here once or twice before, but I should make more of a habit of it. Itachi got me used to visiting cafes and tea shops; we used to stop by one whenever we visited a village.”

Beside him, Itachi blushed. Obito chuckled; he imagined a grown Itachi, wearing his full Akatsuki garb, walking into a tea shop to order dango, flanked by Kisame, who would be even taller and muscular than he was now. The image in and of itself was enough to get Obito to start laughing, much to Itachi’s visible chagrin and Kisame’s own amusement.

The person from behind the counter appeared at their table after another few minutes of conversation, placing down a tea tray with the items they’d ordered in the center of the table. Kisame thanked them as they walked away, before turning his attention back to Obito and Itachi.

Itachi reached over to pull his dango toward him, shooting Kisame a warning glare as the older boy opened his mouth, no doubt to tease Itachi about his love for the sweet. 

“So,” Kisame started, leaning his elbows on the table, “are you two planning on heading back to Konoha today?”

“Most likely,” Obito said. Kisame nodded.

“You’ll want to leave soon if you want to make it back to Fire Country by nightfall,” Kisame mused, “I can walk you to the gate, but that’s the furthest I can go, despite how much I’d love to come back to Konoha with you guys. Got business in Kiri, and all.” He waved his hand for emphasis on the last part. Obito nodded; on his last visit, Kisame had told him about Mangetsu and the yet-to-be-born Suigetsu, in addition to the whole situation with Fuguki and Samehada.

Beside Kisame, disappointment flashed across Itachi’s face, quickly quelled back into his usual flat expression. But Kisame had caught it nonetheless, and turned to Itachi with a smile.

“Don’t worry, Itachi-san,” he said, “I’ll be sure to keep in contact with you as much as I can. Those poor ravens are going to be tired from flying back and forth from Kiri and Konoha so often!”

This got a soft giggle out of Itachi, whose expression visibly brightened. Kisame’s smile widened.

“What, no ravens for me?” Obito said, teasing. Kisame raised an eyebrow at him.

“I thought our relationship was strictly professional, Obito-san,” Kisame teased in turn. Obito laughed.

“Are you kidding me? I gave you a ring within minutes of meeting you!”

Kisame let out a bark of laughter, before bringing a hand up to cover his mouth, seemingly surprised at his own volume. Itachi’s shoulders started shaking as he suppressed a fit of giggles.

Obito smiled; if anything, he was glad the second chance Madara had given them all had given them this, this opportunity to actually be  _ friends _ . The Akatsuki before never could have had this.

— 

After finishing up at the cafe, the trio made their way to the entrance of the village. It had begun to drizzle, by now, but it was a light enough rain that it was only a slight nuisance.

“Well, here we are,” Kisame said as they came to the gate. He had his hands on his hips as he turned to look at Obito and Itachi, expression slightly rueful.

“I’ll… I’ll see you another time,” Kisame said, smile faltering almost imperceptibly. Obito nodded, sure that the same expression Kisame wore was mirrored on his own face.

“Hopefully soon,” he said. Kisame nodded his agreement, and turned his attention to Itachi. He knelt down, and much as he had the day prior, pulled Itachi into a tight hug.

“I’ll miss you,” he muttered, face almost purposefully hidden in Itachi’s hair. Itachi nodded against Kisame’s shoulder, grabbing fistfuls of the fabric on Kisame’s back. After a long moment, Kisame pulled away and stood back up.

“Send a raven my way if you need me,” Kisame reiterated to Obito, then to Itachi, “I’ll send you a raven your way tomorrow, if that works?”

“Absolutely,” Itachi assured Kisame with a smile, and closed his eyes happily when Kisame reached down to ruffle his hair.

“Have a safe journey back!” Kisame called as Obito and Itachi began walking, waving after them. Obito turned his head to look over his shoulder, flashing Kisame a smile.

“Will do!” He called back, returning the wave. Beside him, Itachi did the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for such a long delay, but i'm back with more! can you tell how much i love kisame and itachi? this is the longest chapter by far and it's cuz of them hah
> 
> this story now has a tumblr: @deliverusfromevil


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